Where Do I Go From Here?
by Onetreehillfan1988
Summary: What effect will Lucas's twin sister have on Tree Hill?
1. Chapter 1

Where Do I Go From Here?

Summary—What happens when Lucas finds out he has a twin sister. His mother gave her up for adoption 18 years ago but now she's back.

Disclaimer: I own nothing involving One Tree Hill. My only claim is to my original character Jamie.

Author's Note: Italics are thoughts. Set after episode 2 of season four. Also, since I am a huge OTH fan, I will try to keep this in line with everything that happened the first three seasons. If I mess up I'm sorry. Anything that happens in season four may or may not be included. Street names or any other details like that may be made up since I don't know what everyone's street is.

Chapter 1 

Lucas closed his laptop. He had just finished writing about all that happened in the couple weeks.

"Lucas! Could you come here please?" his mother called. Lucas got up and walked into the kitchen.

"What's up mom?"

"Honey, you should sit down," Karen said softly.

"Mom what's going on?" Lucas asked, worried. He didn't like the sound of her voice.

"Lucas I've been keeping something from you for a long time." He looked at her nervously. _Whatever she's hiding, it must be big_, he thought.

"I don't know how to say this so I'm just going to get it over with." Karen paused, taking a deep breath. "You have a twin sister."

Lucas didn't say anything at first. Then he looked up with a confused look on his face. "What? How can I have a sister?"

His mother put her head in her hands. "About six months into my pregnancy I found out I was carrying twins. I knew that I wouldn't be able to afford to raise two children so I decided that adoption was my only choice. Oh god, if Keith hadn't been there… Anyway, I had a sonogram done and found out that I was carrying a boy and a girl. I couldn't decide who to give up so Keith found a family from Connecticut looking to adopt. They were looking for a little girl so I let them take her." She let out a sigh.

"But mom, why didn't you ever tell me?" Lucas asked, clearly shocked by the news.

"Because giving up your sister was the hardest thing I ever had to do." Karen said as she started to cry. Lucas immediately pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay mom. I understand."

"There's something else." Karen said as she pulled away. "Dan doesn't know. He wasn't there when the two of you were born." She looked at Lucas trying to see if he was upset.

"Mom, why did you decide to tell me now? You could have kept it from me. I can understand why you wouldn't want to talk about it."

Karen put her head in her hands again. "Because Lucas, she contacted me. She found out she was adopted and she wants to get to know us. But before I tell her to come I want to make sure it's okay with you."

Lucas thought for a moment. "Of course it's okay. Now that I know about her I guess I want to meet her. It's definitely a shock but I'm glad you told me." Karen looked up at her son.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I am. But I think I need to add some more to the journal I started keeping. A lot more."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

Saturday, almost two weeks after Karen told Lucas about his twin, Jamie Bradshaw drove through the town of Tree Hill looking for a place called Karen's Café. Her biological mother had told her to meet her there. Judging by the name, Jamie guessed that her mother owned the restaurant. _I can't believe I'm finally here. _ Finally finding it, she pulled a parking space and shut off her car. She was nervous. After taking a few deep breaths she got out and went inside.

"Hi can I help you?" Karen asked as she casually looked up at the customer. When she saw the tall blonde girl standing there she knew. She didn't know how but she did. She knew that it was her daughter standing there. The girl stood there nervously for a moment.

"Are you Karen?" she asked quietly.

"Jamie?" Karen asked, her eyes filling with tears. She quickly asked Haley to take over for her and she motioned for Jamie to sit down at a table with her. They both sat for a minute in silence. Finally Karen cleared her throat and said,

"So…" Then they both started laughing. "I… I guess I don't really know what to say." Karen said with a nervous smile.

Jamie laughed. "That's okay. I thought that maybe we could start with all the difficult stuff and get that over with." Karen nodded.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well I just have three questions. Why did you put me up for adoption, who is my biological father, and do I have any siblings?"

Karen nodded. "Well, firstly you have a twin brother and a half-brother. Secondly your father is Dan Scott. Third… I gave you up because I couldn't afford to raise two children. I didn't want to give you up but I had no choice. Your father wanted nothing to do with me and he never even found out that I was carrying twins."

"Okay, I have one other question. Why did you choose to give me away?"

Karen's eyes filled with tears again. "I didn't. The family you were given to wanted a baby girl. Believe me, giving you away was the hardest thing I've ever done."

Jamie nodded as she took in all of this information. "I understand. I know what it's like to not have a lot of money. And while my life hasn't been easy, I can't imagine life without my family."

"Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?" Karen asked. Jamie nodded.

"How long have you known about being adopted?"

"About a month before I contacted you. My mother told me shortly after my dad died. We don't talk anymore but I guess she thought that I should know." Jamie looked down at her hands, clearly not wanting to discuss the issue any further.

"I'm sorry." Karen said in a comforting voice. Jamie looked back up.

"It's okay. It's just that I still haven't really gotten over it." At this point both of them had tears in their eyes. Karen wiped her eyes and cleared her throat.

"So, do you have a place to stay?" Jamie shook her head.

"Not yet. I'll just stay at a motel until I can find a cheap apartment."

"Nonsense." Karen said firmly. "You can stay with me and Lucas." Jamie looked surprised at the immediate kindness Karen was showing her.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to intrude."

"You won't be intruding. And it will give us a chance to get to know each other better. And I can't wait for you to meet Lucas."

"One other thing before I go. Do you know of any places that are hiring? I'm dropped out of the college I was going to but I don't know if I want to go back."

Karen's eyebrows shot up. "You're in college? Lucas is still a senior. Oh but wait, he started a year late. Well you can work here. I've been thinking about hiring someone else."

"Really? Okay. When do I start?" Karen laughed. She was clearly happy that her daughter had come to see her.

"You can start now if you want. I'll train you today and you start officially on Monday. Oh, Haley come here. There's someone I want you to meet.

Jamie spent the rest of the day learning how to work at the café along with meeting Haley and Lucas. Both immediately welcomed her into their lives and made plans to hang out the next day. As she unpacked her things in the spare bedroom of Karen and Lucas' house, she thought about the day.

I can't believe they welcomed me so quickly. I haven't even been here a day and I've already got a place to sleep and a job.

She lay down thinking about her future. She was starting to think that her life might be getting back on track. But as she thought this, a nagging voice in the back of her head kept saying, You have to tell them. She knew she couldn't keep her secrets from this family. She wanted to be honest with her biological family but she knew that if they found out the truth about her, they wouldn't want anything to do with her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Lucas sat at the kitchen table. He was waiting on Jamie to finish getting ready for their day out on the town with Haley and Nathan. He couldn't believe that she had only been there for a month.

As if on cue, Jamie walked downstairs. "Ready?" she asked quietly. Lucas nodded and stood up.

As they drove toward Nathan and Haley's apartment, Lucas found himself thinking about his sister again. She's polite and friendly but also very withdrawn and quiet. Lucas glanced at Jamie who was staring out the window. There's something about her. I can't put my finger on it but I know she's hiding something. Lucas decided to try and talk to her.

"So mom told me that you were in college. How is that possible since we're the same age?"

"She told me that you started a year late. She never told you that?"

Lucas gaped at her. "I started late? Oh man. No I didn't know."

"That's okay. Life after high school isn't all that great. You know they actually expect you to work?" Jamie joked. They both laughed. Jamie couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so easily. Maybe life here won't be so bad after all, she thought. But again the nagging voice said, You have to tell them.

"We're here." Lucas said as he pulled the car to a stop. "I thought maybe we could hang out here for a while then we'll all go to lunch and maybe go to the mall."

Jamie nodded. "I can't thank you guys enough for this. I mean, you hardly know me and you're welcoming me into your family." She gave him another smile, this one sincere. Lucas smiled and put his arm around her shoulder.

"You'll soon find out that that might not be such a good thing."

Jamie stole one of Lucas' fries as she listened to Haley talk. The four of them were at Karen's Diner and Haley was explaining her complicated marriage to Nathan. Lucas was in the back talking to Karen and Nathan was chatting with some of the Raven's basketball team that had shown up for lunch. Jamie was being caught up on all of the Tree Hill drama. She couldn't believe the amount of stuff these people had gone through.

As Haley glanced at Nathan and smiled, Jamie could see how deeply in love she was. "Nathan seems like he's a great guy. So does Lucas. You guys have barely known me for a month and you're welcoming me like I'm part of the family."

Haley smiled. "Hey, you are part of the family. We're all one big crazy family." The two of them laughed as Nathan and Lucas came back.

"Hey babe. Ready to go?" Nathan asked Haley, who nodded and stood up. Jamie also stood up and walked to the door with them. Haley and Lucas walked out just as a redhead girl walked in. She saw Haley give the redhead a dirty look and a quick glance at Nathan. Uh-oh, trouble in paradise she thought.

They drove to the mall and walked around for a couple of hours. When Haley dragged Nathan into a home designer store to look at stuff for the apartment, Lucas and Jamie decided to walk around and talk. Lucas laughed at something Jamie said and when he looked up he saw Brooke standing there, looking at him with a hurt expression.

"Lucas can I talk to you? Alone?" The two of them walked over to a bench and sat down.

"I'm pregnant." She said it softly, with a slight quiver in her voice. "The test I took was negative so I told you I wasn't but I was feeling weird so I went to the doctor." Brooke started to cry and Lucas pulled her against him.

He looked and saw Haley, Nathan, and Jamie standing by the store entrance. He walked over to them. "Could you guys give us a moment. Actually here." He threw his keys to Nathan. "God. Brooke's pregnant." He turned and walked outside with Brooke.

"I can't believe she's pregnant." Nathan said as the three of them turned to walk back to the door they had come in. "You know what I mean?" he said to Haley. She looked at the ground.

"I kind of knew. I went to the doctor with her. She asked me not to tell anyone."

Nathan shook his head. "Man, this is really gonna change Lucas' life. It'll change all of our lives. I can't believe I'm going to be an uncle." Haley nodded and patted him on the arm but Jamie noticed a worried look on her face.

Jamie thought to herself as they walked out of the mall and got into the car. Jeez. I thought my life was messed up. This place is drama central.

She had no idea how right she was until they got to Nathan and Haley's apartment. Not long after they went inside, there was a knock at the door. Nathan opened the door to find his father standing there. He looked at Dan and then at Jamie with a nervous look on his face.

Dan however, was apparently in a hurry and didn't notice it. He hurried into the apartment. "Your mother has gone insane. Did you know that she's started back up with her pill habit? She's also carrying around a gun and she said she'd-,"

"Dad!" Nathan yelled. "Get out. Don't come to me with your problems like we're best buds or something."

"Nathan she's your mother!"

"I know that dad! I'll get her help. What she doesn't need is you sticking your nose in her business. Now get out of my apartment."

"Fine." Dan said as her turned to leave. As he saw the tall blonde girl standing there next to Haley, his heart skipped a beat. She looked just like Lucas. She could have been his twin.

When Nathan saw this he tried to get his father to leave again. "Dad come on. You need to leave."

Dan held up his hand to silence his son. "Who are you?" he asked Jamie.

"Jamie Bradshaw." She responded, unsure of why Nathan didn't want him to find out who she was.

"I haven's seen you around before." Dan said.

"Well I-," Jamie stopped as she saw the look on Nathan's face. His eyes were wide and he was shaking his head no. She rolled her eyes. "He's gonna find out eventually. We might as well tell him."

"Tell me what?" Dan asked, starting to get angry with his son's attempted deception. "Who are you?"

"My name is Jamie Bradshaw. I'm Lucas' twin sister. Your daughter." As she said this she stood up straight and looked him straight in the eyes. She knew all about him abandoning Karen and Lucas. She had also heard about what a horrible father he was to Nathan.

"What?" Dan yelled. "Why wasn't I told about this?" He looked back and forth between Nathan and Jamie, expecting an explanation. Jamie stepped forward and looked in square in the eyes again.

"Well maybe if you had been there when I was being born you would have known."

Dan's jaw tightened. "That stupid bitch" he muttered. Without another word he walked out of the apartment, slamming the door. Jamie looked at the floor. This wasn't exactly how she had expected she would meet Dan. Then, as Dan's words clicked in her head she looked up and caught Nathan's gaze.

"Karen" they both said at the same time. Nathan glanced quickly at Haley and the three of them ran outside and jumped into Lucas' car.

As they sped along, Haley dialed Lucas' cell number. She got his voice mail. "Lucas this is Haley. If you get this message, get home as fast as you can. Dan found out about Jamie and he stormed out of the apartment. We think he's going to your house. We're on our way there." She hung up then dialed Karen's cell. When she didn't get an answer she started freaking out.

"Haley calm down!" Nathan yelled as he turned onto a side street. The house was only a few blocks away.

They skidded to a stop in front of the house and quickly got out. Dan's SUV was already in the driveway. They heard a screeching noise and saw Brooke's silver Bug come flying around the corner. Lucas jumped out and ran toward them.

"You two wait here." Nathan said as him and Lucas ran into the house. Jamie stood in the driveway with a hysterical Haley. Suddenly they heard glass shattering Karen screaming. Haley started crying. Jamie grabbed Haley before she could run inside.

"Haley wait!"

"Let go! That's my husband in there." As she said this she slumped against Jamie and started sobbing. Jamie tried to comfort Haley while she dialed 911.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill.

Author's note: Sorry about the cliffhanger. This chapter will have flashbacks of the month that passed between chapters 1 and 2. This will explain why nobody told Dan about his daughter.

Jamie sat in shock as she watched the police officer put handcuffs on Lucas. As they led him to the cruiser he turned to her and asked her to go to the hospital and make sure their mother was okay. She nodded silently. She couldn't believe what was happening. Her brother was being arrested and her mother was going to the hospital. It's all my fault, she thought. If I had just kept my mouth shut like they told me to, none of this would be happening.

Everyone had warned her about Dan. They had told her that he wouldn't react well if he found out about her. She had stayed away from him for the month she had been there, but when she came face to face with him she couldn't help herself. She hadn't met him but she hated him for abandoning her mother and brother for so long.

**Flashback: Three Days After Jamie's Arrival**

Jamie walked up to Lucas at the river court. Lucas shot a three pointer, then turned to look at her.

"Hey Jamie. What's up?"

"Hey. I was wondering if you could answer a question for me."

Lucas nodded and motioned at the benches where they both sat down. "What did you want to know?"

"Well, I want to know about Dan. Karen doesn't want to talk about him, Nathan just called him an evil bastard, and Haley told me to stay away from him. What's the deal? What did he do to make everyone hate him so much?"

Lucas leaned back and looked up at the stars. "Well… It's not so much what he's done. It's more about what he hasn't done. He wasn't there for mom. He left her to raise me alone. Well, at first he wanted me to live with him but when mom said no way in hell he just left. He didn't give her any support at all. I'm not sorry that I didn't grow up with him but I hate him for all of the things he's done. He's a jerk that thinks he's better than everyone else is. Haley and Nathan are both right. You'd be better off if Dan never finds out about you."

**End Flashback**

Jamie stood up and followed the paramedics as they wheeled Karen out of the house on a stretcher. One of them held up a hand as she started to climb into the ambulance.

"Are you family?" Jamie nodded.

"She's my mother."

As the ambulance sped away, Nathan hugged Haley. She reached up and ran her fingers across the bruise swelling up on his cheek. "What happened to you?"

He reached up and felt his cheek. "That was accident. Lucas accidentally backhanded me when I tried to pull him off of Dan." He shook his head. "He went crazy. I guess I can't blame him though. If Dan did that to my mom, I don't know what I would do."

"Come on. We need to go to the hospital and make sure everyone's alright."

"Don't tell me you're worried about Dan?" Nathan replied, looking at his wife like she was crazy.

"Yes I am. If he isn't okay, Luke could be in major trouble. Plus if we don't go then Jamie will be stuck in the waiting room by herself."

"You're right. I'm worried about Karen too." Nathan started shaking in anger. "If she dies, then Dan better hope he doesn't wake up."

Haley hugged Nathan again. They got into Lucas' car and headed toward the hospital. On the way she called Peyton.

"Hey Peyton. Look, something bad happened… Just get to the hospital… Jamie's waiting there by herself… I'll explain everything when I get there… Okay bye."

"Why'd you call Peyton?" Nathan asked.

"Because she's a lot closer to the hospital than we are and I'm worried about Jamie. She didn't look very good when she got in the ambulance."

"I think she blames herself for what happened."

"What?" Haley yelled, turning to look at her husband in shock. "How could Dan attacking Karen like that be her fault?"

"It's not. But when she came inside and saw Karen and Dan laying there, she fell to her knees in shock and I could have sworn I heard her muttering 'what have I done'."

"If anything it's good she was there. I was freaking out. She called 911 when we heard the glass break and she held me back from running inside. From what you said, I'm glad I didn't go in."

Nathan smiled.

"What?" Haley asked, shocked that her husband could be smiling at a time like this.

"Nothing. It's just that I can't believe Jamie's only been here for a month."

"I know what you mean. She just sort of seems to fit in our crazy family. She's…"

"She's kind of a cross between Lucas and Peyton." They both laughed at Nathan's remark. Haley scooted over and leaned against Nathan. He put his arm around her and drove on in silence.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Jamie was curled up in a waiting room chair crying silently. She looked up when she felt an arm around her. She looked up to see Peyton sitting next to her. She leaned into Peyton's hug and started sobbing. After a few minutes she sat up and tried to regain her composure.

"Hey. How'd you know I was here?"

Peyton pulled her into another hug. "Haley called me. What's going on?"

Realizing that Peyton had no idea what had happened, Jamie started crying again. She couldn't bear to tell her friend that the man she loved was on his way to jail. Trying once again to calm herself, Jamie stood up and started pacing.

"It's Karen. She's…well I don't know. I haven't heard anything yet."

Peyton looked around. "Where's Luke?" she asked worriedly. "Did something happen to him too?"

Jamie was saved from having to answer when Nathan and Haley came rushing into the waiting room. She immediately enveloped in a hug from Haley. As soon as Haley she began asking questions.

"Have you heard anything? Is Karen okay? Have you seen her?" Nathan gently touched her arm.

"Babe calm down. Jamie's freaked out enough."

Everyone sat down. Immediately Peyton wanted to know what had happened.

"Okay, what the hell happened? And why isn't Lucas here? If his mother's in the hospital he should be here waiting to find out if she's okay." Her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my god! He's not hurt is he?"

Haley put a comforting arm around her. "No. He's not hurt. He's—," Haley started. She looked at Nathan and Jamie. Jamie lowered her head before saying,

"Peyton, he's been arrested." Peyton looked at her like she was crazy. When she looked around and saw that they were serious, she started panicking.

"Why has he been arrested? Luke would never do anything wrong. What's going on?"

When Jamie saw Peyton's reaction, she couldn't believe what an idiot he was. He spent all of his time pining after a girl that didn't love him when there was one right here who loved him beyond belief.

Without waiting for an answer, Peyton stood up. "I'm going to see him."

Haley stood up and shook her head. "You can't. Brooke's already on her way there." Peyton looked at her in disbelief. "I'm sorry Peyton. Brooke's my friend too. I'm sorry that you guys aren't friends anymore but you can't expect me to choose between you guys." Peyton nodded and let Haley pull her back down into her chair.

"But why was he arrested?" Peyton asked again.

Nathan let out a sigh. He realized that it was his turn to step up and be the tough one. Haley had been trying to help everyone but now it was his turn. "He was arrested because he beat Dan till he was unconscious."

Peyton gasped. "Why did he do that?"

Jamie let out a shaky breath. "Because I told Dan who I was and he went and attacked Karen. Nathan and Lucas ran inside and--,"

"Dan had Karen by the throat." Nathan said, starting to get teary eyed himself. "Luke flipped out and started hitting Dan." He stopped. It was clear that what he had witnessed had shocked him beyond belief. The minutes turned into hours as they sat there in silence. Nathan had his arms around Haley who was holding onto Peyton's hand. Jamie was sitting with her face in her hands, trying to figure out why everyone's lives had suddenly been turned upside down so quickly.

After about four hours, a voice called through the waiting room. "Is anyone here for Karen Roe?" Four heads looked up simultaneously. In one fluid motion all four of them were standing in front of the doctor. He looked at them and asked, "Is one of you family?"

Jamie nodded and stepped forward. "I'm her daughter."

The doctor looked at her and smiled. She's going to be fine. She's asking for her son."

The four teenagers all looked at the floor. None of them had thought about having to tell Karen about Lucas.

Jamie stepped forward. "He's not here. Can we go back and see her?" The doctor shook his head. "Only one visitor at a time."

Jamie turned to face the three of them. She looked at Haley and jerked her head towards the doors the doctor had come through. Haley gave her a hug and whispered, "Thank you," before following the doctor through the doors.

As the rest of them sat down, Nathan asked, "Why'd you do that? You could have gone back there first. I mean, you are the only one of us who's actually related to Karen?"

"I know how much Haley cares about Karen. She's like a second mother to her."

Nathan smiled. "Well thanks. That meant a lot to Haley." Jamie shrugged.

"Haley's become like a sister to me. All of you have been so great to me. I got two brothers, a sister, and a new best friend," she said, smiling at Peyton. "Besides, I don't know if I'm ready to see Karen yet. I don't know how to tell her that her son's going to jail because of me." She hung her face and let her tears fall.

Peyton put her arm around her and pulled her into a hug. "It's not your fault."

"She's right," Nathan added. "When Dan saw you, he knew. I could tell. He knew you were Lucas' sister. You and Luke are identical twins after all."

Jamie shook her head. "If I hadn't said those things he might not have freaked out so much."

Nathan shook his head. "You don't know Dan like I do. He would have done this no matter what. And we don't know that Luke is going to jail. When they find out what happened, I'm sure they'll let him go."

Peyton pulled Jamie up. "Come on, let's go to the bathroom and get you cleaned up. Your makeup is all over the place." Jamie reached up wiped her cheek. When she pulled it away, she saw her mascara on it. She nodded and let Peyton lead her away. Before she had taken more than three steps however, she fell to her knees and cried out,

"Oh god."

"What's wrong?" Peyton asked as she dropped to her knees to help keep Jamie steady. Nathan hurried over and helped her stand up.

Jamie looked back and forth between the two of them, gasping for breath. Finally she managed to choke out, "Her baby."

Sorry about the cliffhanger. Now I want some reader opinion. Should Karen lose the baby? Should Dan die? Should Lucas go to jail? Tell me what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter** **5**

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. I only own my original character.

Thanks for the reviews.

This chapter will have more flashbacks and will have some info on Jamie's past. Last chapter was supposed to but school is killing me and I really wanted to get a new chapter up. This chapter should conclude the current drama and set the main plot of the story. Enjoy.

Ignoring the protests of the nurses, Nathan, Peyton, and Jamie all ran to Karen's room. When they saw Karen and Haley calmly talking, they all sighed with relief. They crowded into the room but a nurse came and told them that only one could person could visit. They nodded and Nathan and Peyton left immediately. Haley gave Karen one last time and left.

Jamie walked over and sat in the chair that Haley had just vacated. Jamie held back tears, waiting for Karen to bring up Lucas. Finally Karen reached over and grasped her hand.

"Did Haley tell you what happened?" Karen nodded.

"She did. And now I have a favor to ask you."

Jamie nodded quickly. "Yeah. Anything." She wiped tears away, glad to be doing something helpful.

"I need you to go check on Lucas. He needs to know that I'm okay."

Jamie nodded and gave her mother a hug. She stood up and walked out of the room. When she got to the waiting room she told everyone where she was going. Peyton immediately volunteered to go with her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jamie asked her as they walked to Peyton's car. "Brooke might still be there."

Peyton nodded. "I don't care if Brooke's there. I want to see Lucas."

They got into her car and headed toward the only jail in Tree Hill. They drove in silence, both of them concerned about Lucas.

Jamie looked at Peyton, noticing the tired look on her face. She knew that Peyton had been through a lot. Jamie made a silent vow to help her out. After all, she thought. Peyton helped me out when I first moved here.

**Flashback: 2 weeks after Jamie's arrival**

Peyton walked into Lucas's house. She heard the sound of a guitar playing. She made her way upstairs to Jamie's room and found her there, playing an old acoustic guitar.

"Hey." She leaned against the doorframe, waiting for an invitation into the room. Jamie jumped and turned around when she heard Peyton's voice. Peyton was shocked to see that she was crying.

Jamie quickly wiped her eyes and stood up. "Sorry, you scared me. I thought I was the only one here."

Peyton shook her head. "It's okay. I knocked but nobody answered so I let myself in." An uncomfortable silence arose. Finally Peyton broke it. "So you're a musician?"

Jamie shrugged. "I guess."

"Are you okay?" Peyton asked cautiously. Jamie immediately looked at the floor.

"It's not what you think."

Peyton sat down and shook her head. "It's okay. I get it. Believe me I do. You've got things from your past that you aren't really over yet."

Jamie smiled in spite of her sadness. "How is it that you get me so well? You haven't even known me for two weeks." Both of the young women laughed.

"I don't know. I guess it's just because I know what it's like to have secrets tearing you up inside." It was Peyton's turn to look down. "But you know what I've found out?" she asked, looking up. "It helps to tell someone. It really does."

Jamie smiled mischievously. "I've got an idea. I'll tell you my secret if you tell me yours."

Peyton looked at Lucas' sister like she was crazy. "Are you serious? You want to tell a complete stranger?" Jamie shrugged.

"You're not a stranger. And besides, it'll be nice to tell someone who won't judge me."

Peyton nodded and sat down on the bed. "Okay. What's your secret?"

Jamie took a deep breath. "About five months ago, my dad was killed in a car accident. It was ruled an accident because it was dark, foggy and neither car was speeding. The car that hit him didn't see the stop sign and hit him." She stopped and wiped her eyes. Peyton remained silent, allowing Jamie a moment to get herself together.

"So, my secret is that I was the one driving the car that ran the stop sign."

Peyton's breath caught in her throat. She struggled to find something to say but before she could, Jamie cleared her throat and continued.

"I wasn't charged but everyone in my family blamed me. I did too and I couldn't handle the guilt, so I tried to kill myself." Jamie turned her wrist over and Peyton could see a faint scar.

"Wow. That makes my secret seem like nothing." Jamie shook her head.

"No. Your secret isn't less important than mine. If you need to let it out, I'm all ears." She managed to smile at Peyton.

"Okay. My secret is that I… I'm in love with Lucas."

Jamie let out a slow whistle. "Wow. Does he know?"

Peyton shook her head. "I decided not to tell him. He's madly in love with Brooke. I can't make him love me." A silence fell between them. Eventually Peyton stood up. "I guess I should go." She turned to leave the room. She stopped at the door and turned. "Hey. Do you want to hang out tomorrow?"

"Sure." Jamie replied. Peyton nodded and walked downstairs and left. Jamie sat there, absentmindedly strumming her guitar. I have a feeling that we're going to be great friends, she thought.

**End flashback**

Jamie looked over at Peyton and saw that she was starting to cry. She reached over and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Everything will work out. They won't keep Luke in jail. They'll understand that he couldn't control himself."

"I hope so." Peyton responded in a weak voice. Jamie knew that her friend was becoming an emotional wreck. On top of her feelings for Lucas, she had a new brother to deal with. Jamie knew just how stressful that could be.

Trying to lighten the situation, Peyton joked, "At least all this drama has made the Brooke drama seem less important."

When Jamie heard this she shifted in her seat. Peyton noticed and immediately questioned her. "What? Come on. When I mentioned Brooke you did that weird shifting thing you do."

Jamie couldn't lie to Peyton so she told her to pull the car over. When Peyton had put the car in park, she turned to her friend once more, expecting an explanation.

"Peyton… I don't know any easy way of saying this so I'm just going to say it. Brooke's pregnant."

Peyton sat in silence. Finally she put the car in drive and got back on the road.

"Peyton."

"Don't."

"Peyton, I'm sorry.

"I said don't."

Jamie shut her mouth. After about five minutes, Peyton broke the silence.

"I'll drop you off at Karen's so you can get your car. Then I'm going home."

At Karen's house, Jamie tried to talk to Peyton again.

"Peyton, please listen to me. I wasn't keeping it from you. I just found out today. Hell, Lucas just found out today. All of this crap with Dan drove it from my mind."

"I'm not blaming you. I just can't go see Lucas right now." By this point she was trying and failing to keep her tears in.

"Damn it!" Jamie yelled.

"What?" a startled Peyton asked.

"I don't know what to do. I want to go see Lucas and make sure he's okay but I don't want to let you go home by yourself."

Peyton smiled and hugged Jamie. "Thank you for being such a good friend. And thank you for being honest with me."

Jamie rolled her eyes. "God. You know Lucas is going to kill me right?" They both laughed. As Jamie opened the door to get out, she said, "One of these days we need to hang out without all the drama."

"Hey." Brooke called as she saw Lucas' twin walk into the police station. She walked over to her. "They won't let me see him. Maybe since you're his family they'll let you through."

Jamie nodded, unsure of what to say. She was mad at Brooke for treating Peyton so horribly but she was carrying her niece or nephew. Supposedly. In the long hours of silence in the hospital waiting room, Jamie had thought about the strange look she had seen on Haley's face at the mention of Lucas' child.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she went to talk to the officer at the front desk. She was told that she could see her brother but it would be about an hour. She told Brooke this, who decided to go home and rest. After calling Haley at the hospital to update them on the situation, she sat down, trying to make sense of her screwed up life."

A.N.: Okay. Not as long as I'd hoped but long enough. Time for more reader info. I was thinking that I might have made the Jamie/Peyton friendship a little too much like the early stages of a relationship. While I didn't intend on doing that, it would make an interesting plot twist. Which way should I go? Drama-a shocking relationship between the two young women or Angst-Peyton wants Lucas, who chooses to stay with Brooke and raise his child (which might not be his).


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. I only own my original character.

Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait. I had this chapter done but my computer crashed and I lost the whole thing. Everything that happened with the fake Derek has already happened. I am changing it a little because in this story, the fake Derek died when he fell through the window. Lucas and the real Derek were not charged with anything since they were protecting Peyton. Also, the detective in this chapter is the same one that Lucas talked to about Derek in the show but I forgot his name and made up my own.

Like always, italics are the people's thoughts.

Chapter 6 Lucas looked up as Detective Riley led his sister into the room. He immediately stood up and hugged her. The detective closed the door and motioned toward the seats at the table. The three of them sat down. 

"Okay Lucas, here's the deal. I talked to the district attorney. If Mayor Scott wakes up then he'll be prosecuted for attacking your mother. The fact that your mother is pregnant could also mean that he would have to face two counts of attempted murder. We just got your mother's statement and it goes along with everyone else's."

"What if he doesn't wake up?" Lucas asked anxiously.

Detective Riley sighed. "Then you will probably be charged with murder."

Jamie gasped. She struggled to speak. "But-but- he, he was protecting our mother."

"I know that Miss Bradshaw. Listen." He leaned forward. "I don't believe that you would intentionally hurt anyone. If Dan wakes up, you won't have to worry about anything. If he doesn't, then I'm going to call in a favor to a lawyer friend of mine."

"Thank you." Lucas said, extending his hand to shake the detectives.

A loud ringing sound suddenly interrupted the grim atmosphere. Jamie flipped open her cell phone.

"Oh. Okay. I'm on my way." She closed the phone and stood up. "That was Nathan. Something's wrong with Dan. He said for me to get to the hospital as fast as I can."

She hugged Lucas and thanked the detective for his help. She then hurried out of the police station and drove to the hospital

**Tree Hill Hospital**

Nathan and Haley met Jamie as she hurried into the hospital.

"What's going on?" Jamie asked, worried about what would happen to Lucas if Dan died.

Nathan shook his head in anger. "Apparently Dan had some hemorrhaging or something and he lost a lot of blood."

"Oh my god. Is he-,"

"No, he's not dead, but he needs a blood transfusion and the hospital has a shortage of his blood type." Nathan stopped talking. It was clear that the stress of the situation was getting to him."

Haley pulled Jamie off to the side while Nathan sat down. "The doctors came to ask Nathan if any family members with the same blood type were available but Nathan has his mother's blood type. When we told Karen she said to call you."

Jamie laughed and shook her head. "I don't believe this. He tries to kill Karen and now I'm supposed to help save his life?" She started pacing, deep in thought. Finally she stopped.

"Okay. I'll do it. But I'm not doing it for Dan. I'm doing it so Lucas doesn't get charged with murder."

Haley gasped when she said this. "Murder?" She walked forward and grabbed Jamie's arm. The blond turned to face Haley with tears in her eyes.

"They said that if Dan dies then Luke will be prosecuted. The only way they'll drop the charges is if Dan wakes up."

She then turned and walked to the desk. She explained the situation and was immediately taken to have her blood drawn.

**Meanwhile**

Derek listened as Peyton sobbed up in her room. He felt sorry for his half-sister. He couldn't imagine loving someone so deeply and not having that person love you in return. He wasn't sure if he liked Lucas or not. On one hand, he was causing his sister so much pain, but on the other hand, he had helped save Peyton from that psycho.

He finished putting the meal he had cooked in the refrigerator. He then started up the stairs, bracing himself mentally for what he was about to do. Although they had both been cautious about letting the other in, Derek and Peyton had developed a bond and Derek felt that he couldn't call himself her brother if he didn't try to help her deal with her pain.

**Back at the Hospital**

Nathan looked at his watch. He couldn't believe it was only midnight. The past day seemed like it lasted a lifetime.

Jamie had been exhausted after giving blood so Haley had taken her back to apartment to sleep. Nathan had chosen to stay at the hospital and await news of his father's condition.

"Nathan!" a familiar voice called out. He looked up, shocked to see his mother walking toward him. "I just heard. Are you okay?"

Nathan nodded. "I'm okay. We're all okay except for dad." He leaned into his mother's hug, knowing that all he could do was wait to see if his father would survive.

**The next morning**

Peyton stumbled downstairs and opened her front door. She was surprised to see Jamie standing there, getting drenched by the rain.

"Come on in, what are crazy? It's pouring down rain out there."

"I know. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Peyton wrapped her arms around her in a hug.

"Thank you." She said, pulled away. "I don't know what I would do without you."

Jamie looked at the floor. "No. You deserve a better friend than me."

"What do you mean? You've been a great friend."

Jamie shook her head. "No I haven't. I've been lying to you."

Peyton took her by the arm and pulled her into the living room. "What are you talking about. You're the one person who's been honest with me lately."

Jamie shook her head again and sat down on the couch. Peyton sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "What is it?"

Jamie drew in a deep breath before speaking. "When I told you about what happened to my dad, I didn't exactly tell you the whole truth. I told you that I didn't get charged with anything but that isn't true." She started to cry silently and tried to pull away from Peyton. Before she could get up Peyton pulled her back and looked her in the eyes.

"Just tell me. I'm not going to freak out or anything."

Jamie nodded and wiped her eyes. "I was convicted of vehicular manslaughter. I spent the last six months in prison but I got released early for good behavior. My family didn't want anything to do with me so when I found out about Karen I decided to try to start my life over. I didn't want to lie but I was afraid that Karen and Lucas wouldn't want me to stay in Tree Hill." Overcome with emotion, Jamie sobbed into Peyton's shoulder. When her sobbing subsided, she sat up to continue.

"I would have just kept it a secret but if Dan or Lucas go on trial, I'll have to testify and my record will be brought up. I'm just so scared that Karen and Luke won't want me here anymore. I've already lost one family. I don't know if I can take losing another."

"I'm sure everything will be okay. Karen and Lucas are some of the nicest, most accepting people I know."

"What should I do?" Jamie asked Peyton in a shaky voice. "I don't want to tell anyone but if it comes out later, their reactions might be worse."

Peyton didn't know what to do so she gave her friend another hug. "You really are an amazing person. You're dealing with so much stuff and you still came over here to check on me. Thank you."

Jamie rested her head on Peyton's shoulder. "So how are you doing? You were pretty upset last night."

"I'm okay. I had a long talk with Derek. I guess that if Lucas really loves Brooke then there's nothing I can do about it.

Peyton realized that she was still hugging Jamie and let go. As she pulled back and looked into Jamie's eyes, she felt her heart start to beat faster. Without realizing what she was doing, she began leaning closer to Jamie. Jamie began leaning closer as well. Their lips were mere centimeters apart when a loud beeping noise brought them back to reality.

Jamie pulled back, shocked at what she had almost done. As she flipped open her phone to read the text message, her mind began racing. _Oh my god! What was I thinking? I probably just ruined our friendship_. When she read the text message from Nathan, all thoughts of her all-most kiss with Peyton went to the back of her mind.

"Dan's awake." she said, quickly getting up and heading to the front door.

"Jamie wait." Peyton yelled, running to the door and shutting it. She pushed Jamie back against the door and kissed her. When Jamie started kissing her back she felt her knees go weak. She wrapped her arms around Jamie's neck and deepened the kiss.

"Um." A deep voice spoke from the kitchen doorway. Peyton turned, shocked to see her father standing there.

"Dad! What are you doing home so early?" Both girls began to blush.

Larry Sawyer stood there dumbfounded. He didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth but no words came out. Finally he turned and walked into the kitchen.

Peyton sighed and turned to Jamie. She leaned close and whispered, "Sorry about that. We'll talk later. You go deal with your father and I'll deal with mine." She then gave Jamie a small kiss goodbye.

**Tree Hill Hospital**

A very flustered Jamie walked quickly through the doors of the hospital. She spotted Nathan sitting in the waiting room wearing the same clothes as the day before.

"What's going on?" she asked her half-brother. She could see that he was extremely tired.

"Dan's going to be okay. The doctors said that your blood probably saved his life. My mom's in there with him now."

The two of them sat down. "Nathan, why don't you go home?"

Nathan shook his head. "I don't want to sleep. I have to find out what's going to happen to my father."

Jamie looked at the floor. "Are you mad at Lucas?"

Nathan's face twisted into a look of confusion. "What? No I'm not mad at Lucas. If Dan did that to my mother, well let's just say that he wouldn't be waking up."

Jamie nodded. "Has anyone told Karen yet?" Nathan shook his head.

"No. Me and mom thought that you should be the one to tell her."

She nodded again and went to her mother's room.

Karen looked up when her daughter walked through the door "How's Lucas?" she asked immediately.

"He's okay. The detective said that if Dan woke up they'd probably let him go, and Dan's awake." She sat down next to Karen's bed.

"Listen, there's a lot of things that I've kept from you and Lucas. I guess that I've been afraid to let people in. When you get out of the hospital and all of this stuff with Dan is behind us, I want to let you and Lucas get to know me better."

Karen took hold of her daughter's hand and grasped it tightly. "I'm glad you told me that. I know it's only been a month but I already see you as part of the family."

Jamie's eyes filled with tears. She wiped her eyes and stood up. "I'm going to go tell Lucas and see if they'll let him out." She quickly left the room before Karen could see the tears rolling down her face.

She ran out of the hospital and got into her car. Once she was alone she let the tears come freely. The stress of past two days was finally catching up with her. Once the tears stopped, she started the car and drove to the police station.

In the parking lot, Jamie looked in the mirror. _Holy crap. I look like shit._ She fixed her makeup and got out, mentally bracing herself for what she was about to do. She knew that Lucas was going to be furious that she had helped Dan.

Lucas looked up as he saw his sister enter the room. He stood up and walked forward. "Dan, is he-,"

"He's okay. He woke up about half an hour ago." Lucas sighed, half with relief, half with regret.

The detective smiled. "Well son, you're free to go."

Lucas and Jamie hurried out of the police station and headed for the hospital. Lucas looked at Jamie.

"So what was wrong with Dan? When Nathan called you shot out of there like a bat out of hell."

Jamie hesitated. "He, well he-." She struggled to find the words to tell her brother what she had done. "He needed a blood transfusion and I was the only one there with his blood type."

Lucas stared at her angrily. "You what?" he yelled. "You saved the life of the man that tried to kill our mother? Stop the car." Jamie pulled over and Lucas jumped out and started walking down the road.

"Lucas stop!" Jamie yelled. "Look I only did it so that you wouldn't have to stay in jail. I did it for you. Would you have preferred it if you went to prison?"

"You know what? Maybe I would. That asshole has no right to live."

"Goddamn it Lucas!" Jamie yelled, pounding on his chest in anger. "You have no idea what you're saying. Were you just planning on leaving Karen to live without her son? Don't you know how much that would hurt her? And you have no idea what it's like to live with the guilt of killing someone!"

"Oh like you do." Lucas replied with a sneer. He turned and started walking away but stopped when he heard his sister crying.

He walked back and put his hand on her shoulder but she pushed him away. "Jamie what is it? What is it that you've been hiding? You haven't really opened up and when I said that you freaked out."

Jamie sat down and told her brother everything. When she was done she stood up. "Look, if you want me to go, I'll go. I can understand why you wouldn't want me around. I just wanted you to know who I really am. I also wanted you to know that I didn't give Dan the blood transfusion to save him. I did it for you and for Karen. You two are the only family I have left."

Lucas smiled. "Don't forget Nathan and Haley." Jamie smiled and offered him a hand to stand up. The two got back in the car and headed for the hospital.

"So is that your only secret?" Lucas asked in a joking tone. Jamie laughed with him and shook her head.

"No. But that's all you're gonna get from me right now."

**The Sawyer House**

"Peyton." Larry Sawyer said as he walked into his daughter's room. "We need to talk. Earlier you wouldn't talk so I gave you some space but now you need to open up."

"What do you want me to say Dad?" Peyton replied flopping down on her bed.

"Well, why don't you start with telling me who that was downstairs."

Peyton sighed and covered her face. "She's Lucas Scott's twin sister."

Larry shook his head in confusion. "What? Lucas Scott doesn't have a sister."

"Karen gave her up for adoption when she was a baby. She came back to Tree Hill a little more than a month ago."

"That's it?"

"What more do you want me to say Dad?" Peyton sat up and looked at her father.

"Well how about you tell me why you were making out with her."

Peyton slumped forward. "I don't know how it happened. It just did."

Larry nodded. "And how long has this been going on?" Peyton sat up and looked at him.

"Since about two minutes before you walked through the door. I haven't had time to figure it out."

Her father walked over and hugged his daughter. "Peyton, you know I'll accept you no matter what. I was just a little shocked."

"You're not mad?"

"Mad? No. I'm not mad. I just want to know how long you've, well, you know."

"Liked girls?" Peyton finished for him in a quiet voice.

"Well yes."

"I don't. I mean I didn't. Look, all I know is that one-minute I was hugging her, the next, I wanted to kiss her. When she got up to leave I ran after her and kissed her."

She leaned into her father's hug. "Man I'm glad I got that off my chest."

"So are you two dating?" Larry asked with a smile.

"I have no idea."

Please read and review. I'll update again when I know what my readers think about it.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry about the lack of warning about the Peyton/Jamie pairing. I know most people warn about that but I didn't want to ruin the surprise. I am happy that I got a positive reaction from it.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, just my original character.

**Chapter 7**

Jamie set down her cell phone. She was tired of trying to call Peyton. Despite her words of reassurance, she had been avoiding Jamie for the last two days. She looked at the sleeping form of her mother. She was happy that Karen would be released the next morning but was worried about Dan's trial.

Much to her surprise, Haley came and said that she would stay with Karen that night. Jamie was relieved. She immediately drove toward Peyton's house.

_I hope she's home. I don't want to have this fight but I guess I should just get it over with. I guess her dad catching us was too much to handle. Or maybe she doesn't really like me. No! That can't be true. She wouldn't have kissed me again if she didn't like me._

These thoughts bounced around in Jamie's head as she drove to Peyton's house. When she arrived she shut the car off but didn't get out. She leaned back against the seat and tried to figure out what she was going to say. Finally she gave up hope of making her brain work, and got out.

Unfortunately it was not Peyton, but her father who answered the door. Jamie stood in shock, unsure of what to say.

"Hi. I, uh, I'm-I'm here to-," Larry held up his hand to silence her.

"It's okay. I know who you are. Larry Sawyer." Larry held out his hand and Jamie immediately shook it. "Peyton's in her room."

Jamie nodded and hurried up the stairs. She knocked on the door and slowly peered into the room. Peyton looked up from her drawing. When she saw Jamie standing there her eyes widened.

"Come in." she said in a soft, depressed voice. Jamie walked into the room and stood facing Peyton.

"Hi." Jamie said quietly. She looked at the floor, waiting for Peyton to speak. When she remained silent, Jamie looked up and spoke.

"I just want to know one thing. If you don't want to be with me, why did you lead me on like that?"

Peyton looked up with anger on her face. "What are you talking about?"

"You kissed me. Then, before I left, you told me it would be okay and that we would talk later. Then you kissed me goodbye."

"What do want me to say Jamie?"

"I just want you to talk to me. If kissing me was a mistake, tell me. I can't pretend it won't hurt but I'll deal with it. I want you to be happy."

Peyton sat once more in silence. Jamie looked her sadly. She nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait." Peyton said softly. Jamie turned to see tears in her eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm just so confused." She walked forward and hugged Jamie.

"It's okay." Jamie whispered softly, pulling Peyton closer. "If you don't want to be with me I understand."

Peyton pulled back. "No. I'm not saying that I don't want you. It's just that I've never felt this way about a girl before."

"And you still love Lucas." Jamie said, pulling away and sitting down on the bed. Peyton walked over and sat down next to her.

"Yes. I still love Lucas but that doesn't mean I don't care about you."

"Peyton, no matter what you decide, I want to be in your life. If that means burying my feelings, then so be it."

Peyton took Jamie's hand. "How long have you liked me?"

Jamie laughed. "I don't know. I guess that I didn't realize it until I almost kissed you on the couch. I guess I've liked you since I first met you but I never really thought that I would end up caring about you like this."

"I know what you mean. I can't believe it's barely been more than a month since we met."

Jamie scooted closer to Peyton. "I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I really care about you. I want to be with you."

Peyton nodded. "I care about you too. I didn't realize it until after we almost kissed and you started to leave. Something inside me said to go after you. I want to be with you too."

"But what about Lucas?" Peyton lowered her head.

"I'll always love him. I can't change that. But I don't want to spend the rest of my life waiting on him."

She then leaned forward and kissed Jamie. Jamie returned the kiss and allowed herself to fall back onto the bed. When they finally broke the kiss, she rested her forehead against Peyton's.

"I should probably go soon. I have to help Luke get the house ready. Karen' coming home tomorrow."

Peyton groaned. She wrapped her arms around Jamie. "No. I'm not letting you leave", she teased. "Can't you stay the night?"

"I'd love to but I need to talk to Lucas. I told him about my past."

Peyton gasped. "How did he react?"

"He reacted better than I thought he would. He also told me that he thinks Karen will still accept me as part of the family."

"So you're going to tell her?"

"Yeah. Detective Riley told me that Dan's lawyer will probably try to use my criminal record to lower my credibility as a witness. I don't want Karen to find out about it like that." Jamie felt tears threatening to fall. Peyton reached out and cupped her cheek in her hand.

"Do you want me to be there with you?"

Jamie shook her head. "This is something I have to do on my own."

"Okay. There's one other thing before you go. Can we keep this a secret? I don't know if I'm ready to tell everyone yet."

Jamie kissed Peyton softly. "Of course. I'll call you tomorrow. After I tell Karen, I might need to come over for a while."

**Lucas's House**

Lucas sat on the floor, staring at the broken glass. He didn't hear his sister come in behind him.

Jamie cleared her throat. She was surprised to see tears in her brother's eyes when he turned around. She walked over and sat down next to him.

"Are you okay?"

"No. I can't get the image of mom laying there out of my head."

Jamie sighed and rested her chin on her knees. "I know. Listen, you go get some sleep. I'll clean this up."

"You don't have to do that." Lucas replied, putting an arm around his sister. "You've already helped out a lot."

Jamie shook her head. "If it wasn't for me, none of this would have happened. I should have kept my mouth but I wanted to get back at Dan."

"It's not your fault. Dan had no right to do that, no matter how angry he was. And now he's going to prison for it."

Jamie sighed and leaned against her brother. "But what if he doesn't? He's the mayor. That gives him a lot of power. Plus he'll probably get a lot of sympathy from the jury."

Lucas frowned. "Why would he get sympathy."

"The fact that he had a child hidden from him for eighteen years."

Lucas stood up. "So you think he was justified in what he did?"

"No!" Jamie yelled, standing up as well. "I'm just trying to tell you what will probably happen. A jury feeling sorry for a defendant can make all the difference. The only reason I'm not still sitting in prison is because a jury felt sorry for me."

Lucas held back his retort. "What?"

"I was convicted of vehicular manslaughter but that's not the only thing I was charged with." Jamie sat down on the couch. "I was also charged with murder."

Lucas sat down on the chair across from her. "Why?"

"Because of the reason I was driving that night."

**Flashback**

Jamie stood in her parents' living room. "I'm adopted? How could you wait until now to tell me?"

Her father and stepmother sat in silence. Finally her father stood up and tried to comfort her. "Look Jamie, it doesn't matter to me that you aren't my biological daughter."

"But why did you hid if from me?" Jamie yelled. She turned and ran out of the house. When she sped off, her father ran to his car and followed her.

**End Flashback**

"I was angry and I was going way to fast. My dad was just trying to make sure I was okay. He was pulling out into the intersection when I hit him going 70." Overcome with grief and guilt, Jamie started to sob. Lucas sat down on the couch and held her against him.

After a while she stood up. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to testify against Dan."

"Why not?" Lucas asked, turning to face her.

"Because of my record and because I spent two months in a mental institution for trying to kill myself." She showed him the scar on her wrist. "I couldn't deal with the guilt. That made the jury feel sorry for me and didn't find me guilty of murder."

Lucas frowned. "I still don't see why that means you shouldn't testify."

"I don't know Luke. I guess we should just see what the prosecutors want to do. They know more about it than we do."

"But why don't you want to testify? Don't you think that Dan should go to prison?"

Jamie jumped up and looked down at her brother. "Of course I do! Look, if the DA thinks I should testify, I will. I'm just tired of dealing with all of this. We're eighteen. We should be out partying and hanging out, not worrying about whether or not we can send Dan to prison. And you have no idea how hard it is to talk about my past. It's going to be hard enough to tell Karen. I don't know if I can tell an entire courtroom."

Lucas stood up and apologized. The two of them began cleaning up the mess of broken glass. Lucas went outside to throw the garbage bag away. He was on his way back to the house when he heard Jamie scream. He ran back inside, and what he saw made his blood run cold.

Dan was standing there with his arm around Jamie's neck and a gun pointed at her head. "Take one more step and I'll kill her, just like I killed Keith."

Lucas felt his heart skip a beat. _He killed Keith!_ "No." he said softly. "Please don't."

Dan pushed the barrel of the gun against Jamie's head and yelled, "Shut up."

Jamie shook with fear. She struggled against Dan's grasp but stopped when he pushed the gun harder against her head.

Dan shouted, "Get down. Now!" Lucas fell to his knees.

"Please just let her go." He pleaded.

"Why should I?" Dan snarled.

"Because she saved your life." Lucas yelled back, hatred and fear boiling inside of him.

"What are you talking about?"

"She gave you a blood transfusion. Without it you would have died."

Dan shoved Jamie to the floor but kept his gun trained on her. She crawled back to Lucas and grabbed hold of him.

"Fine." Dan said as he leveled the gun at Lucas. Suddenly a shot rang out. Then another.

A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger. Please read and review.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger. In this chapter, everyone will try to get their lives back on track. There will also be some more Peyton/Jamie so if you don't like that don't read. Thanks for the reviews. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own One Tree Hill.

**Chapter 8**

Jamie screamed in horror. She held on to Lucas as they watched Dan collapse to the floor. Behind him, Deb stood, holding a small pistol.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked, her voice showing no emotion. Jamie nodded but Lucas shuddered in anger.

"He killed Keith. He told us." He stood up and helped his sister to her feet. Pulling her into a hug, he began to cry.

As Lucas sobbed, bent down with his head on her shoulder, police sirens began to wail in the distance. Deb set her gun down on the table and walked over to the two of them. "Come on you two, let's go outside." The twins followed her, thankful they no longer had to worry about Dan. The police arrived and went over the scene. They determined that because Deb had shot Dan in order to save Jamie and Lucas, they weren't going to arrest her. As they were preparing to leave, Lucas asked Detective Riley if he could talk with him alone. They walked down to the sidewalk, out of earshot of everyone else.

"What's wrong Lucas?" the detective asked curiously.

"It's something Dan said, earlier when he had the gun pointed at Jamie's head. He told us that he killed my Uncle Keith."

Riley was familiar with the case. It had been determined that the kid had shot Keith, then himself. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Son, if what you're telling me is true, then we'll have to open up the investigation again. Are you sure you want to put your family through that kind of stress?"

Lucas bristled with anger. "What about Jimmy's mom? She ought to know that her son wasn't a murderer." The two stood in silence while Lucas pondered the repercussions of this revelation. Finally he turned back to the detective. "What should I do? I don't want to cause my mom any more pain, but I don't want Dan to get away with this either."

"I think the truth should be brought out. How about this, I'll reopen the investigation of your uncle's death, but keep in under wraps. We won't tell your mother until we have solid proof that he did it. Honestly, right now, we wouldn't have a very good case."

"Why not?" Lucas demanded. "He told us. He **told** us. What more proof do you need?"

Detective Riley sighed. "Under the circumstances, The claim that he said that are not enough. What we need is a witness. Ms. Scott didn't hear Dan say that he killed your Uncle Keith. For now, let me conduct another investigation. When I know more or have proof, I'll contact you." Lucas nodded and shook his hand. He turned and was immediately engulfed in a hug from Haley. When they parted she told him that he and Jamie could stay with them for the night.

"Okay. I'll go tell Jamie." He walked over to his sister, who was sitting on the porch, talking on her cell phone. She suddenly smiled. She snapped the phone shut and looked up at her brother. "You're never going to believe this," she said, standing up. "I just got a call from my lawyer, and he said that the judge overturned my conviction."

Lucas smiled and hugged his sister. "That's great news. Come on. Haley said we can stay with them." Jamie smiled.

"Luke, they've only got one couch. I'll stay with Peyton so you don't have to sleep on the floor." He laughed and put an arm around her shoulder and started walking toward their cars.

"Who says you would have gotten the couch." They laughed, both trying to hide the pain and fright that was coursing through their bodies.

Peyton slipped downstairs as quietly as she could. She frowned when she saw her dad's bags packed, ready for his early departure. She was furious that he was leaving after only being home for two days. She was surprised to find Jamie standing there when she opened the door.

"Hey. What's going on?" she asked, seeing the look on her girlfriend's face.

"It's Dan. He's…he's dead." Jamie replied, tears forming in her eyes. Peyton pulled her into a hug. "He was going to kill me and Lucas, but Deb got there and-and she shot him." She pulled away and wiped her eyes. "Haley said we could stay with her and Nathan, but I wanted to see you."

They went upstairs into Peyton's room. Jamie changed into the pajamas she had brought with her and the two of them laid down in the bed. Remembering her phone call earlier, Jamie propped herself up on her elbow.

"I almost forgot. I got a phone call from my lawyer earlier. My conviction's been overturned."

"What?" Peyton replied.

"My lawyer appealed and the judge decided to overturn it."

"That's great!" Peyton said happily. She pulled her girlfriend into a hug. When she pulled back she captured Jamie's with her own. They kissed passionately until they needed air.

"Wow," Jamie whispered. She snuggled closer to Peyton. As they began drifting off to sleep, a thought occurred to her. "Hey Peyton?"

"Hmm?"

"I think I know what would help everyone get through these difficult times." Peyton rolled over so she was lying on her side, facing Jamie.

"What?"

"We have a huge night at Tric. I'll help you plan it and try to get bands to come. We can even donate the funds to charity."

Peyton wrapped her arms around her. "That sounds like a great idea. I'll do it on one condition."

"What's that?" Jamie whispered back.

"You have to play."

"What?"

"Haley's been writing acoustic versions of her songs and you're an incredible player. Come on, it'll be fun."

Jamie giggled. "Okay."

The two drifted off to sleep, holding on to each other.

Over the next couple of weeks, the group began trying to move on with their lives. Dan's funeral came and went. Lucas and Jamie decided not to attend although Nathan and Haley went.

Jamie started learning the acoustic version of Haley's song "Halo." She and Peyton also began trying to get bands to play at Tric. They decided to donate the profits to breast cancer once more.

Sitting in the manager's office at Tric, Peyton hung up the phone and smiled. "Fall Out Boy said they're interested in doing another benefit show. They also said that they'll help us record the second c.d."

Jamie choked on the water she was drinking. "C.d.? What c.d.?" Peyton laughed at her shock.

"We're going to record another c.d. with all of the songs performed at the show. What's wrong? Afraid to let people hear you playing?"

Jamie blushed. "No."

Peyton laughed again. "So did you have any luck?" Jamie smiled slyly.

"Maybe." She gave a noncommittal shrug, causing Peyton to smack her playfully.

"Come on, tell me."

Jamie grinned again before practically shrieking, "Three Days Grace said they'll come!" The two girls jumped up and hugged each other in joy. Once they finally calmed down, Jamie looked at her watch. "Oh crap. I told Haley I'd meet her to practice today. I better get going." She gave Peyton a soft kiss that quickly became much more heated. Peyton wrapped her arms around Jamie's waist. She ran her tongue along Jamie's lips and was quickly allowed access. The continued making out until they heard a crash. They broke apart to see Lucas standing in the doorway, the box he'd been carrying lying on the floor. He gaped in shock for a while, then laughed.

"Damn it. Now I owe Nathan ten bucks." The girls' embarrassment quickly turned into anger.

"Lucas Eugene Scott!" Peyton yelled, smacking him on the arm. He laughed again.

"Hey! Why are you smacking me? I lost the bet."

"How long have you guys had this bet going?" Jamie asked, walking slowly toward him with her hands behind her back.

"About a week."

"Thought so," she replied with a laugh, flinging water all over him.

"Hey! What the hell?" He got a mad look on his face but it quickly turned to laughter.

Jamie rolled her eyes. "I heard you and Nathan talking and when I came in the room you guys shut up really quickly. Now I know what you were talking about."

"Hey Luke?" Peyton asked in a serious voice. "Would you mind not telling anyone? We're just not ready for everyone to know."

Lucas nodded. "Sure. I don't really want to have to tell anyone that I caught my sister making out with my best friend." His remark earned him a slap from both girls.

"Thanks." Jamie said sarcastically. "But now I'm running late so I'm going to go." She walked over to Peyton and kissed her just to make her brother uncomfortable.

Jamie knocked on the door to the apartment. Nathan opened the door and welcomed her with a hug. "Hey sis."

Jamie was surprised at his new nickname for her. She went in and found Haley all ready set up for there practice session. Sitting down, she opened her guitar case and pulled it out.

"Ready?" Haley asked. Jamie nodded and began to play.

"I never promised you a ray of light

I never promised there'd be sunshine every day

I'll give you everything I have

The good, the bad

Why do you put me on a pedestal?

I'm so up high that I can't see the ground below

So help me down you've got it wrong

I don't belong there

One thing is clear

I wear a halo 

I wear a halo when you look at me

But standing from here

You wouldn't say so

You wouldn't say so if you were me

And I, I just wanna love you

Oh, oh I, I just wanna love you"

Another week passed and the benefit show at Tric finally arrived. Jamie sat backstage with Haley. "Are you nervous?" she asked. Haley smiled.

"No. I've performed in front of a lot more people than this. Why is this your first time performing?"

Jamie shook her head. "No. It's just that it's been a while. Don't worry. I always get nervous before a performance."

The door opened and a lost looking Tric employee popped his head through the door. "Finally, the right room. We're ready for you." The two walked out onto the stage and sat on the stools provided for them. Peyton walked to the microphone.

"Hey Tree Hill. Are you guys ready to do this?" The crowd cheered. "Okay. Give it up for Tree Hill's own Haley James Scott, featuring Jamie Bradshaw on guitar and backup vocals." The crowd cheered again. Haley pulled the microphone out of the stand.

"Hey guys. Let's make some money for breast cancer." She nodded to Jamie who began playing. Haley began the song.

"I never promised you a ray of light

I never promised there'd be sunshine every day

I'll give you everything I have

The good, the bad

Why do you put me on a pedestal?

I'm so up high that I can't see the ground below

So help me down you've got it wrong

I don't belong there

One thing is clear

I wear a halo 

I wear a halo when you look at me

But standing from here

You wouldn't say so

You wouldn't say so if you were me

And I, I just wanna love you

Oh, oh I, I just wanna love you

I always said that I would make mistakes

I'm only human and that's my saving grace

I'll fall as hard as I try

So don't be blinded

See me as I really am

I have flaws and sometimes I even sin

So pull me from that pedestal

I don't belong there

One thing is clear

I wear a halo

I wear a halo when you look at me

But standing from here

You wouldn't say so

You wouldn't say so if you were me

And I, I just wanna love you

Oh, oh I, I just wanna love you

Like to think that you know me

But in your eyes I am something above me you

That's only in your mind

Only in your mind

I wear a, I wear, I wear a halo

One thing is clear

I wear a halo

I wear a halo when you look at me

But standing from here

You wouldn't say so

You wouldn't say so if you were me

And I, I just wanna love you

Ohhh I, I just wanna love you (I just wanna love you)

Heya Hey…Hey Hey Halo

Heya Hey…Hey Hey Halo

Heya Hey…Hey Hey Halo

Heya Hey…Hey Hey Halo

Heya Hey…Hey Hey Halo

Heya Hey…Hey Hey Halo

Heya Hey…Hey Hey Halo (Halo)

Heya Hey…Hey Hey Halo (Hey)

Heya Hey…Hey Hey Halo (Halo, hey)

Heya Hey…Hey Hey Halo (Halo)"

When they ended the crowed cheered them again. Jamie leaned forward to the microphone. "Hey guys, that was awesome. Now give it up for my favorite band, Three Days Grace!"

Three Days Grace came onto the stage and actually gave Haley and Jamie hugs. They then prepared to play. Adam spoke into the microphone. "Hey Tree Hill. Give it up one more time for these incredible ladies." The crowd went wild again. "Okay let's tear it up. This is a song off our new c.d."

"I can't escape this hell  
So many times i've tried  
But i'm still caged inside  
Somebody get me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal  
(This animal, this animal)

I can't escape myself  
(I can't escape myself)  
So many times i've lied  
(So many times i've lied)  
But there's still rage inside  
Somebody get me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal

Somebody help me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself  
Somebody wake me from this nightmare  
I can't escape this hell

(This animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal)

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal  
(This animal I have become)"

Coming next chapter: Fall Out Boy performs.

A/N: This chapter may have been pretty angst free but don't worry. There is still more drama to come. Please review.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks for reviewing. Sorry it's taking so long to update. School is killing me.

Disclaimer: Like always, I don't own One Tree Hill. I only own any original characters that appear.

**Chapter 9**

Peyton and Lucas sat at the bar, watching the crowd leave the building. Fall Out Boy had performed their hit single "Sugar We're Goin Down." After they had finished the crowd was calling for Three Days Grace to play again so they came back on and played their song "Pain."

"So what do you think?" Lucas asked happily. "Was it a success?" Peyton smiled.

"Definitely. We're going to raise so much money with this c.d."

Upon hearing this, Lucas started laughing. "So, did you tell Jamie about the c.d.?"

Peyton blushed. "Yes. I meant to wait until after the show tonight but I accidentally let it slip. It didn't seem to affect her playing though."

Lucas nodded. "The two of them were awesome." He cleared his throat nervously. "So Peyton, we haven't really talked about you and Jamie." Peyton sighed.

"What do want me to say Luke? I mean, I thought that you of all people would be understanding."

"No, that's not what I mean. It's just…never mind." Peyton put her hand on his, trying to be reassuring.

"It's okay. You can talk to me. I won't get mad."

Lucas looked up with her with pain in his eyes. "Peyton, when I came here the day I saw you two kissing, I was coming to tell you something." He stopped, worried about what his friend's reaction would be. "Brooke and I aren't getting back together. I came over here that day to tell you that I'm in love with you." He looked down at his drink, waiting for rejection.

Peyton sat in shock. The moment she had waited for. Lucas was in love with her. She wanted to be with him so badly. Inside she felt like she was breaking in two. She wanted Lucas, but she also wanted Jamie. She sat there, trying to process what Lucas had told her.

"Lucas I…" He looked back up at her.

"It's okay. You're with Jamie. I understand." Peyton shook her head.

"Luke, I love you too." Before she could say anything else, he leaned in and kissed her. Suddenly they heard a door slam. They broke apart and Peyton ran to the exit. She got there just in time to see Jamie's car peel out of the parking lot. She leaned her forehead on the door, tears leaking down her cheeks.

"What have I done?" she whispered softly.

Jamie looked at the sky as rain began to fall. She felt tears falling down her face but made no attempt to wipe them away. She felt numb. She felt like her entire life was falling apart. After she had seen Lucas and Peyton kissing, she had driven to the river court.

Eventually she got up. She knew that Lucas would probably show up, looking for her. She got behind the wheel and slowly began driving. She thought back to what she had witnessed at Tric. She had heard her brother declare his love for Peyton. She had watched Peyton struggle inside. Then she had watched as Peyton betrayed her and kissed Lucas.

The thought entered her mind that maybe she should just be happy for Peyton. She knew how deeply in love with him she was. _No,_ she thought, brushing away all notions of Peyton's innocence. She was tired of having to give up her own happiness for other people. She continued this line of thinking as she drove toward the outskirts of town. She noticed that the land was becoming more country like but she didn't care. She drove aimlessly, going way too fast, until she looked up and realized that the light she was about to go through wasn't green.

Jamie slammed on the brakes and swerved the car away from the truck in the intersection. She screamed and shut her eyes as the car slid across the road. When she finally slid to a stop, her heart was pounding. She shuddered in relief. She got out of the car and ran to the truck, which had pulled off the road.

"Are you okay?" she yelled as the driver of the truck got out. The man nodded.

"I'm fine." He shook his head in relief. "What were you thinking? You should be more careful." Jamie nodded.

"Is there any damage to your truck?"

The man shook his head. "No. You should probably get home. It's really late." Jamie began walking back to her car. As she opened the door, the man yelled, "Oh, and miss, please be more careful. Next time you might not be so lucky."

Peyton looked up from her drink as Jamie walked into Tric. "I'm sorry," she said, before Jamie could say anything. Jamie shook her head and intertwined her fingers with Peyton's.

"I've been thinking about what happened. I know how much you love Lucas. I can't stand in your way if you want to be with him." When she finished, she got up to leave but Peyton held her back.

"Wait. I'm sorry you had to see that. It shouldn't have happened, but I'm glad it did. Now I know for sure what I feel." Jamie sat back down and waited for what she thought was going to be a break up speech. "When I was kissing Lucas, all I could think about was how much I'd rather be kissing you. I love Lucas. That will never change. But I want to be with you."

Jamie hadn't been expecting that. She hugged Peyton and whispered in her ear.

"It's okay. Let's just forget about it. I can't stand being mad at you." The two of them got up and went to Peyton's house. They went into her bedroom.

Peyton pulled Jamie into a kiss that quickly became very heated. She pulled Jamie's coat off and pulled her onto the bed. They remained in that position for a while, until Peyton slipped her hand underneath the back of Jamie's shirt. Jamie gasped as Peyton began kissing her neck. Peyton pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"Do you want me to stop?" Jamie shook her head. Peyton continued her trail of kisses until she came to the collar of Jamie's shirt. She lifted herself up a little and pulled the shirt over Jamie's head. Once the shirt was gone she once more began her exploration of her girlfriend's chest. She began to move her hand towards Jamie's bra clasp but stopped. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Jamie sat up and ran her hand across Peyton's cheek. "I've never wanted anything more in my life." She ended the conversation by covering Peyton's mouth with her own. As Peyton unhooked her bra, she whispered in her ear, "I love you." Peyton smiled and repeated Jamie's words.

Lucas let himself into Peyton's house quietly. He wanted to apologize for the night before and to tell her that he and Brooke were going to try to work on their relationship. He knocked lightly on her door, expecting her to be drawing. What he saw when he walked through the door was a much different scene. His jaw dropped. _I guess they made up_, he thought as he slowly backed out of the room. It was quite obvious that neither girls had any clothes on. Unfortunately, Peyton chose that moment to wake up.

"Hmm. Lucas?" She sat up, pulling the sheet around her. "What are you doing here?" she asked groggily. Lucas pointedly stared at the ceiling.

"Maybe I should come back later." Peyton giggled when she realized why he was so embarrassed.

"Just go downstairs. I'll be down in a couple minutes."

Lucas went downstairs and Peyton got up. When she did, Jamie woke up. She rolled onto her back and looked at Peyton. "Hey. Why are up getting dressed. You said you wanted to sleep in." Peyton laughed.

"Sweetie, look at the clock." Jamie laughed in response when she saw that it was 12:30 in the afternoon.

"Can't we just stay in bed?"

"No. Lucas is downstairs. He kind of came in here while we were asleep." Jamie burst into laughter.

"Wow. That must have been embarrassing for him."

"Yeah." Peyton finished dressing and walked over to the bed. She kissed Jamie passionately. "Listen, why don't you get dressed and come downstairs in a couple of minutes. That way you can rescue me from the uncomfortable conversation we're probably about to have." Jamie nodded in response and started getting dressed.

Peyton hurried downstairs and found Lucas sitting in the kitchen. He blushed when he saw her. "Hey. Listen, how about we never discuss what I saw up there?" Peyton laughed.

"Okay. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, first I wanted to know if you had seen Jamie. Obviously you have so let's move on." He blushed in embarrassment again. "The main reason I came over here was to apologize for last night. That wasn't right of me to spring something like that on you. I also talked to Brooke, and she's agreed to try to work things out with me, for the sake of the baby."

Peyton sat down across from him and patted his hand. "You're madly in love with her aren't you?" He nodded.

"I am. With her and our baby." When he said this, Peyton's smile faltered. "What?" Lucas asked, noticing her change in facial expression.

"Luke, I hate to be the one to say this, but are you sure that it's your baby?"

Lucas started to speak but stopped. Realization entered his eyes. "Chris Keller," he muttered softly. "Damn it." He stood up, obviously angry. "I've got to go talk to Brooke. He rushed toward the front door, knocking his sister down as she came down the stairs.

"Sorry," he said, helping her up.

"Luke, maybe you shouldn't leave here so angry. You might say something to Brooke that you'll regret later." He shook his head in response and went out the door. Jamie smiled apologetically at her girlfriend.

"I guess I didn't get down here fast enough.

Lucas knocked on Rachael's front door furiously. Brooke answered it. Before she could even invite him in, he shouted, "Brooke, is the baby mine?"

Brooke's eyes filled with tears. "No."

A/N: Please review. I love getting feedback on my writing. I'm thinking of ending this story soon. If you guys want me to continue, let me know.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. In this chapter there will be more flashbacks, Lucas will do something that will change his life forever, and someone with knowledge about the school shooting will come forward.

Warning: This story has girl/girl in it but if you don't know that already then you should probably go back and reread the previous chapters.

Disclaimer: laughs cynically If I owned One Tree Hill, do you think I'd be here?

**Chapter 10**

Karen looked up as Lucas walked through the door, slamming it shut. "Do I want to know?" she asked cautiously. Lucas bit his lip, holding back his angry retort. Finally he scowled walked to his room, deciding that coming home had been a mistake. Karen followed him and tried to comfort him.

"I guess things didn't go so well with Peyton." Lucas rolled his eyes and slid past her, back into the kitchen. "Lucas Scott, you wait just one minute. Don't you dare ignore me." He stopped and turned around, his hand on the back doorknob. His mother tried to soften her tone. "Lucas what happened?"

He snorted and glanced over her shoulder. "Why don't you ask your daughter." Karen turned around and saw Jamie standing in the doorway. Her face twisted into a look of confusion.

"You told me you were going over there to tell Peyton that you wanted to be with her, even though she rejected you last night. What does Jamie have to do with it?"

Lucas' face hardened. "Like I said, ask your girlfriend stealing, jailbird daughter." Ignoring the hurt expression on his sister's face, he opened the door and left.

Jamie held back tears as she turned to leave. "Hold it!" Karen yelled. Jamie turned slowly. "Now I know that he was upset, but I get the feeling the feeling that there was a grain of truth in what he said."

Jamie turned to face her mother. "Yeah, he was telling the truth. About everything. I went to prison because I killed my dad in a car accident. Yes, I guess you could say I stole Peyton from him. We're dating, although he didn't show any interest until she was taken. Oh and here's one he doesn't know about. Apparently I'm crazy because I tried to kill my mother too. I pushed her down a flight of stairs and then I tried to kill myself. There, are you happy. That's the truth. That's all of my secrets." She stopped, overcome with emotion. She made no attempt to stop the tears that were falling down her face. Without waiting for a response from Karen, she turned and went out the front door.

Karen walked slowly to the window. She watched in shock as her daughter got out of her car and began kicking it in anger. She got back in the car and tried to start it again. Giving up, she put her keys back in her pocket and started walking down the street.

Lucas sat at the river court, regretting what he had done. He knew that he had probably just destroyed his relationship with his sister. The worst part about it was that he had lied to his mother. He wasn't in love with Peyton. He had just been trying to hide from his fear of being a father. He wasn't even mad at his sister. He had been venting his anger, and she had been an easy target to lash out at.

He continued sitting there until he heard a weak voice behind him. "Luke?" He turned to see Brooke standing there, looking like she was about to faint. "Lucas, I know that this baby isn't yours but that doesn't mean I don't want to be with you. I'm not asking you to be a father, just to be with me." He stood up and pulled her into a hug.

"Okay. I'll be there for you. I'll be there for you and the baby. I don't care who the real father is. I've fallen in love with it, and that's all that matters.

Peyton opened her door to find her girlfriend standing there, crying uncontrollably. She hugged her asked what was wrong. They sat down and Jamie explained in a shaky voice what had happened. When she got to the part about pushing her mother down the stairs, Peyton gasped in shock.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I've just worked so hard to put all of that behind me. What I did, it was so horrible. I… I got so angry. She told me that she wasn't going to be there for me at my trial. I was so sick of her abandoning me.

**Flashback**

Jamie stood at the top of the stairs, staring at her mother, lying motionless on the floor. She choked back a sob and walked over to the phone. She dialed 911 and set the phone down on the table. She then walked into the bathroom and pulled a razor blade out of a cupboard. She sat down on the floor with her back pressed against the sink and raised the blade to her wrist. She closed her eyes and brought the blade down.

**End Flashback**

I thought I had killed her. I was unconscious by the time the paramedics arrived. The revived me and I was sent to a mental institution. I stayed there for two months before a shrink said I was sane enough to go to trial."

Peyton pulled Jamie into a hug. "It's okay. That's all in the past. You're a good person. Lucas was just upset because Brooke's baby isn't his. He's not in love with me. He was just scared about being a father and he turned to me to try to escape. I love you and I'm not going to leave you."

Jamie rested her head on Peyton's shoulder. "Thank you. And I know Luke was angry, but that doesn't make it hurt any less. I'll be lucky if Karen ever wants to see me again."

"That isn't true." Peyton said, rubbing Jamie's back. "Just give her some time to process what you told her." Jamie sighed.

"I know. I shouldn't have thrown it all at her like that. I was just hurt that Luke spilled all of my secrets like that. I'm so glad I have you. If I didn't have you to come to, I don't know what I would do. I love you so much."

They sat on the couch holding on to each other for a while. When Jamie's cell phone rang she pulled it out and looked at the caller id. She stood up and went into the kitchen.

"Hello… Hi Karen…I'm at Peyton's house…I know we need to talk…Okay, I'll come home for dinner. Right now I need time to calm down… Okay. Oh, and I'm sorry I blew up like that…Bye."

She closed her phone and went back to Peyton in the living room. "That was Karen. She wants me to come home later so we can talk. She said Lucas agreed to do it."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Jamie took Peyton's hands in hers. "Are you sure you want to? I'd love to have you there but I understand if you're not ready."

Peyton shook her head. "I'll be there. I'm not ready to tell everyone, but since Lucas and Karen know it won't matter. I want to tell everyone about us, but I don't know if I could deal with it. I am still in high school after all."

Jamie laughed. "Afraid you won't be cool anymore?" This caused Peyton to laugh too. Pretty soon they were both rolling with laughter. Eventually they stopped and Peyton asked,

"So what are we going to do? We have about four hours till we have to go to Karen's."

"I don't know. All I know is that I don't want to think about the past. It's time for me to move on. While I know that I may never be able to fully forgive myself, I know that my dad wouldn't want me to spend the rest of my life miserable."

Peyton nodded. "You deserve to be happy. Besides, I just happen to like crazy." Jamie laughed and kissed Peyton.

"You know what I think? I think that maybe I should get my own apartment. Maybe I could even go back to school. Can you believe I actually used to have goals?"

Peyton laughed. "What were your plans? I mean, I know you're a musician but is there something else you want to do?" Jamie looked down.

"You can't laugh at me okay?" Peyton immediately laughed. "Hey! Okay, I was going to school to be a music teacher."

"Wow. That's awesome." She pulled Jamie into a kiss.

Lucas sat at his computer, pondering his decision. _Well, Mom's either going to be proud of me, or she's going to kill me. I guess it doesn't really matter. I've made my decision and I'm not changing it._

Karen stood at the stove, cooking. Jamie's outburst earlier that day had disturbed her. She had wanted her daughter to open up to her, but not like that. More than ever, she was regretting her choice to give Jamie up for adoption. She could see now that it had been a mistake.

Detective Riley looked up as someone walked into his office. Whitey shook his hand.

"So, detective, I hear that you're looking into the school shooting again."

"Yes I am. Who told you that?"

"Well, a certain Scott boy seemed to think that I would be interested to know."

The detective nodded. "So what are you doing here?"

"I think I have some information that might interest you."

Lucas, Karen, Jamie, and Peyton sat down around Karen's dining room table, eating the meal she had cooked. For a while, nobody said anything. Eventually Karen set her fork down and cleared her throat. Jamie grabbed Peyton's hand. She looked across the table at Lucas and Karen.

"I guess we can't avoid it forever," she said quietly. Lucas nodded his silent agreement. Jamie drew in a deep breath. "I want to apologize for blowing up like that. That was a really selfish thing for me to do, and you've been through enough."

Karen shook her head. "Jamie, you don't have to apologize. I want to you to know how incredibly proud I am of you. You've had to deal with so much trauma in your life but you're still standing."

"She's right." Lucas added. "I need to apologize to you for saying those things. In fact, I want to apologize to all of you. Jamie, I'm sorry for spilling your secrets like that. Peyton, I'm sorry for kissing you, and for lying to you. I was just scared of these issues with Brooke and I was looking for someplace to run." He turned to his mother. "Mom, I want to say sorry for lying to you about my feelings for Peyton, and for causing you any pain with what I'm about to say."

"Lucas, it's okay." Karen responded. "Right now, you can say anything you want."

"Okay. There's something I've been keeping from you. The day Dan attacked you, I found out that Brooke's pregnant." Karen gasped but Lucas held his hand up to stop her from speaking. "I also found out this morning that the baby isn't mine. That brings me to what I want to tell you. I talked to Brooke, and we've decided to work things out. I've also decided that even though this baby isn't mine, I'm going to be there for it."

All three women looked at Lucas with tears in their eyes. Karen pulled him into a hug. "Oh Lucas, I'm so proud of you." They finally broke apart. "Now it's my turn to confess my secrets. Jamie, I want you to know that I've known about your past all along. I just wanted you to open up to me on your own. Secondly, I want you to know that I'm happy for you and Peyton. It came as a shock, but I'm glad that you've found someone to be with."

Jamie smiled. "Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me. Now I have one more thing to tell you guys. I want to move out and get my own apartment. I'm really grateful that you're letting me live here, but I need to be more independent. It's the only way I'm ever going to be able to move on with my life."

Karen nodded. "I understand. Are you sure you're going to be able to afford it?" Jamie nodded.

"I've been saving the money I make at the café."

"Okay then. Tomorrow I'll help you find one."

The next day Karen and Jamie went apartment searching and found one close to the café. Karen insisted on paying the deposit and helping her daughter buy furniture. Everything was organized and Jamie moved in. Over the next couple of weeks everyone was busy putting their lives back together. Lucas and Brooke worked on rebuilding their relationship. Peyton and Jamie spent a lot of time together, becoming more and more involved with each other.

Everyone was also busy with planning his or her future. Nathan and Haley decided that they would both go to Duke University so they could remain together. Lucas, Brooke, Peyton, and Jamie all decided to look into the one college that Tree Hill had.

Exactly two weeks and two days after she had moved in to her apartment, Jamie was woken up by a knocking on her door. She got up and threw some clothes on. "Coming!" she yelled. She opened the door and her jaw dropped. Her sixteen-year-old little sister was standing at her door, holding a baby.

A/N: What do you think? I've decided to pull away from the angst and focus on the characters moving on with their lives. Unfortunately the end is coming soon. I anticipate about three or four more chapters. Please review and tell me what you think.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks for reviewing. I've changed my mind about ending the story.

Warning: Yeah, yeah, there are two girls together, blah, blah.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill but you probably all ready knew that.

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**Chapter 11**

Jamie stood in the doorway, gaping at her sister. "You…you're…oh god, I don't even want to know." She moved aside and let her sister in. "Caitlin, is that your baby?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"What do you think?" her sister replied snidely. "Of course he's mine."

"When…wait." Jamie stopped and thought for a moment. "If you have a baby now, that means you were pregnant a long time ago."

Caitlin nodded. "Since before Dad died. Look, I didn't want to come here. I just don't have anywhere else to go. Mom told me to get the hell out and you took away the only other place I could go to for help."

Jamie felt tears in her eyes but didn't let them fall. "Don't. If you want help, don't."

Caitlin nodded, the anger she felt toward her sister clear on her face. "Look, I'm not asking for a place to stay. The only reason I'm here is because when your conviction got overturned, you became the person in charge of the money Dad left us."

Jamie's eyes widened. "What?" Caitlin nodded. "So you want you want me to sign over the money to you? So you and your jackass boyfriend can run off somewhere?"

"No. We aren't running off. We're going back home. We just can't afford to live on our own and we need the money."

Jamie crossed her arms and walked into her small kitchen. "And what about this baby? God, do you know how much it hurts to find out that my sister had a baby and nobody told me?"

"Look, I don't want you in my life, or this baby's life. All I want is you to sign this form saying you give up your claim to the money. You certainly don't deserve it, considering that you're the reason Dad's dead."

Jamie walked forward and snatched the paper out of her sister's hand. She read it over, then pulled a pen out of a drawer and signed it. "Here. Have your money. Now get the hell out of here."

Without waiting for a response, she stormed into her bedroom and collapsed onto her bed. When she heard her sister leave she let the tears fall. Once they stopped she got up and went into the kitchen. Reaching into the back of a cupboard, she pulled out a bottle of vodka. She poured a shot and downed it. Without wasting a second she poured another shot.

After her sixth shot she decided that she should include Peyton in her attempt to drown her emotions. She went into the bedroom to get her cell phone. She flopped down of the bed but never managed to dial the number. Darkness quickly overtook her.

When she woke up she could hear Peyton's voice. "Hmm. Peyton?" she asked groggily. She sat up and a wave of nausea rolled through her. She immediately jumped out of bed and ran for the bathroom. She vomited into the toilet, then sat back against the wall.

"Jamie, why did you get drunk like that?" Peyton asked, sitting down next to her girlfriend. "It took me fifteen minutes to wake you up. How much did you drink?"

Jamie shrugged, holding her hands over her face. "I don't know. I think I had six. Maybe it was seven."

"But why did you get drunk?" Jamie leaned against Peyton, who wrapped her arms around her. The memories of her sister's unexpected arrival flooded back into her mind. She choked back a sob.

"I… My sister showed up." Unable to say anymore, she sobbed into Peyton's shoulder.

"Sweetie, it's okay. What happened?" Jamie sat up and vomited again before telling Peyton what had happened that morning.

"I'm so sorry." Peyton said, trying to comfort her sobbing girlfriend. Jamie finally stopped crying and asked,

"Peyton, why is it that every time my life starts to go back to normal, something else happens?" Peyton didn't say anything. She couldn't think of anything to say. Instead she pulled Jamie tighter against her. They remained like that until Jamie whispered,

"Peyton, let me get up and get dressed. I need to get out of here." Peyton nodded and went into the living room to wait. Jamie quickly showered and got dressed. She came out and sat down next to Peyton.

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to see me like that." Peyton pressed her hand against Jamie's lips.

"It's okay. I just wish you had called me instead of getting wasted." Jamie nodded and hugged her girlfriend.

"I know. I'm just so tired of feeling like this." Peyton held on to her as she fought back tears. "Come on, let's go." The two of them stood up and walked out the door, not really having a clear destination in mind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brooke sat up when she heard a knocking at the door. She looked at Lucas. He was sound asleep. She went to the door and opened it, although she felt a little weird opening Karen's front door. When she saw who was standing there she started to close it. The person on the other side put a hand up to stop it.

"Brooke wait. I think we need to talk." Brooke sighed and opened the door to reveal Chris Keller standing there.

"What the hell do you want?"

"I think you know." Chris' face became grim and her pointed at her stomach. "Were you ever planning on telling me you're pregnant with my child?"

Brooke gasped. "How did you find out?"

"I called him." Lucas stated, coming up behind her. "He has a right to know."

Chris nodded. "Yes, I do. Now I just have one question. Are you too far along to have an abortion?"

Brooke's face flooded with anger. "You son of a bitch." She pushed him out of the doorway and slammed the door shut. A knock immediately came. Lucas told Brooke to go into his bedroom. When she was gone he opened the door. Chris started to speak but Lucas grabbed him and shoved him into the wall.

"If you ever fucking come near us again you're gonna regret it. How dare you ask her that? You're talking about a baby's life. My baby's life. I don't care if it's your kid biologically. I'm going to be that baby's father." He let go and went inside. Chris let out a deep breath. Shaking his head, he got in his car and drove off.

Inside, Lucas went into his bedroom to comfort Brooke. She was crying but when Lucas tried to put an arm around her she pushed him off.

"Brooke it's okay. He's gone. I won't let anything happen to our baby."

When he said this she only started crying harder. "Lucas, I… there's something I have to tell you." She stood up, trying to stem the flow of tears cascading down her face. She had heard what he said to Chris and was dreading the confession she was about to make. "Lucas, I had an abortion."

Emotion flooded through Lucas as Brooke's words finally sank in. He could feel tears in his eyes as he yelled at his girlfriend to leave. When she was gone he let his rage out. He began kicking various objects and punching the wall. Eventually he fell onto the bed and was unable to stop the tears from coming.

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Karen looked at her watch as she walked through the back door. _10:15, _she thought, looking around for her son.

"Lucas? Are you here?" She walked into his bedroom and saw him lying face down. She thought he was asleep but when she started to leave the room he rolled over to face her.

"Mom?" When Karen heard how shaky his voice was she immediately came back and sat down.

"Lucas what is it?"

He sat up and wiped his eyes. "Brooke had an abortion." Karen hugged her son as tears fell down his face. She knew that although the baby wasn't his, he had already fallen in love with it. Soon she was crying too.

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Peyton pulled her Mustang to a stop in front of Jamie's apartment. The two of them had spent the day at the beach. She had tried to talk to Jamie about her sister but she had refused to talk about it. When she felt Jamie grab her hand she looked up. Jamie was staring at the apartment steps. There was a young blond girl sitting in front of Jamie's apartment. When Peyton saw the baby carrier next to her she knew that the girl had to be Caitlin.

"Jamie, is that your sister?" Jamie nodded. Letting go of her girlfriend's hand she got out of the car and started walking toward her apartment. The young girl stood up as her sister approached.

Jamie stopped for a moment and looked at Caitlin before unlocking the door and going inside. Peyton came up the steps and followed her girlfriend. When she heard the bedroom door slam she turned to Caitlin and motioned for her to come inside.

Inside the bedroom, Peyton found Jamie standing with her forehead against the wall. She didn't look up but quietly said, "Make her go away. I can't deal with this right now."

Peyton pulled her away from the wall and ran a hand along her face. "It's going to be okay. I'll be here with you this time." Jamie shook her head and hugged Peyton.

"I don't know if I can do it."

"Don't worry. Let's go out there and hear what she has to say."

Jamie reluctantly followed Peyton out into the living room and sat down on the couch. She looked at her sister and pointed at the chair across from her.

"So," she began, taking hold of Peyton's hand. "You're back."

Caitlin shifted in her seat. "I can explain."

Jamie shook her head and stood up. "No. You don't need to. I know exactly why you're here. You took the money out of the account and gave it to your stupid boyfriend Greg, and he ran off and left you. Her expression softened when she saw the bruise on Caitlin's arm. "And he beat you up didn't he."

Caitlin choked back a sob. She tried to speak but couldn't form any words, so she simply nodded.

Jamie walked over and sat down next to her sister. "And last April? When I asked you if he ever hit you, were you lying when you told me no?" Caitlin nodded.

"I lied to you because I was already pregnant. I was afraid of having to raise this baby by myself."

"Did he take all of the money?"

"No. I've still got about $1,000 left."

Jamie nodded. "Good. That's enough for you to get an apartment." Caitlin gasped in shock.

"Why can't I stay here?"

"Because this is a one bedroom apartment and I'm already sharing my bed with someone," Jamie said with a smile at Peyton. Caitlin started to protest but Jamie held her hand up to silence her.

"Don't argue with me. I'm still hurt by what you said this morning. Look, there's an apartment right next to mine that's available. I'll help you out. You probably didn't realize this, but I didn't sign away all of the money Dad left us. I still have access to the $10,000 he left me." Caitlin's eyes widened.

"But I thought you gave it all to me."

"No. That form you gave me was only for your share. But that's not the point. I'll use that money to help you out, and I'll help with your son so that you can go to school. It won't be easy, and we'll probably have trouble convincing Mom to agree to this, but I'm not going to abandon you."

Caitlin stood up and hugged her sister. "Thank you. I really appreciate it. And I'm sorry for what I said this morning."

"It's okay." Jamie pulled away and went over to Peyton, who stood up. "Caitlin, I'd like you to meet Peyton, my girlfriend." Caitlin shook Peyton's hand.

"Nice to meet you." She then turned to her sister. "What about tonight. Where will we stay?"

Jamie handed Caitlin her cell phone. "You and…," she said, motioning to her nephew.

"Adam." Caitlin said, picking him up. "His name is Adam." She held her son out so Jamie could hold him.

Jamie smiled. "You and Adam can stay here tonight. I'll stay over at Peyton's house. If you have any trouble just call Peyton's cell. It's on the speed dial."

She then went and gathered up a change of clothing and came back out. She slung the duffel bag strap around her shoulder and pulled out her key to the apartment. "Here. Peyton has an extra so I'll just let myself in tomorrow."

As she turned to leave, Caitlin cleared her throat. "What about Mom. You know that she'll never agree to me living here, and I can't get an apartment with out her consent."

Jamie sighed. "I don't know. We'll probably have to go see her. Don't worry about it tonight."

She and Peyton went outside. They drove to Peyton's house separately because Jamie was afraid that her sister might try to take her car and leave. Once they arrived, they went inside and upstairs to Peyton's bedroom. Peyton closed the door and turned around.

"So," she said seductively. "Now that I've got you alone…." The two young women immediately fell onto the bed in a passionate kiss. Jamie let all thoughts of her troubles leave her mind as Peyton began kissing her neck.

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A/N: Hope you liked it. Please review. I'm always open to constructive criticism.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: The chapter has been changed and it is no longer the end of the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, but I do own my story so no stealing.

A/N 2: In my story, Karen is much farther along in her pregnancy than she is in the show.

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**Chapter 12**

Lucas walked slowly through the halls of Tree Hill High. The only reason he was there was because his mother kept trying to talk to him about Brooke and the abortion. On top of that, his sister had called him that morning to say she had to go out of town for a day or two. He knew he shouldn't be angry with her since she had no idea about the pain he was in, but he still felt like she had abandoned him. Ducking into the bathroom, he pulled out his cell phone.

"Jamie? Hey it's Luke."

"Hey, what's up? Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Yeah, probably. Listen, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it? Are you okay?"

Lucas leaned against the counter and ran his free hand through his hair.

"Jamie, I need you to come home. Brooke… Brooke had an abortion."

Jamie could tell that her brother was in pain. She glanced at her sister. "Ok. We're not very far out of town. I'll be back as soon I can."

Lucas shook his head in confusion. "Wait, I thought Peyton wasn't going with you." He heard his sister sigh.

"Luke, my little sister showed up yesterday. We're on our way to Connecticut to try to get my mother to let her live here. But don't worry about that. I'll be there in about half an hour. I'll pick you up at the school."

After he hung up the phone, Lucas walked out into the school courtyard. Much to his dismay, Brooke was sitting there. Ignoring her call, he simply kept walking. Unwilling to be near her, he called his sister back and told her to meet him at home. As Brooke tried and failed to hold back tears, Lucas began walking toward his house.

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Jamie quickly turned the car around and headed for Tree Hill. Her sister started to complain. Jamie held a hand up to silence her. "Look Caitlin, you can stay with me for now. My brother needs me. Besides, I've been thinking about living arrangements, and I think that you living alone might not be that great of an idea. Instead, we're going get a bigger apartment and live together."

"But we'll be living right next door. It would work out better that way."

Jamie shook her head and looked back at her nephew. "No it wouldn't. I would worry about you too much. Plus I think we have a better chance of Mom giving me custody of you than getting her to agree to you becoming emancipated. If you had to go to court to prove you can live on your own, it would have to be in the same county as the court." Caitlin stopped complaining and looked out the window.

"Caitlin, don't be mad at me. I'm not saying that going to see our mother isn't important. It's just that my brother needs my help right now."

"So your new brother is more important than me?"

"That's not what I mean. Don't turn my words around on me. Look, Lucas is going through something difficult and he needs me to be there for him."

Caitlin snorted. "Yeah, your new family. God, why do have to be like this. They aren't your family. I am. I grew up with you. You come down here and just change. All of a sudden you don't care about your real family, you turn into a dyke, you refuse to help me when I need you-,"

Caitlin's tirade was stopped when Jamie slammed on the brakes. She glared at her sister. "Look, I don't care if you're still upset about Dad. You have no right to talk to me like that. Don't attack me just because I want to go help my brother. Everyone here has been more of a family to me than anyone else has the past few months. I don't remember you ever calling me to talk. I didn't hear from you until you needed my help."

"Yeah well I wouldn't have come if you hadn't killed our father." Caitlin had tears in her eyes as she got out of the car. Jamie got out and went after her.

"Caitlin, come back here." Caitlin shook her head. She pulled her purse out of her backpack and pulled out a wad of money. She raised her arm and waved down a taxi. As Jamie began running toward her she climbed in and shut the door. Before it had closed, Jamie heard her sister say,

"Take me to the train station."

Jamie dropped to her knees. She couldn't believe what was happening! Her sister was leaving, without her son. Finally she managed to get up and run to her car. As she sped away, she dialed Karen's cell phone number.

"Karen, where's the train station at?… No, I'm not leaving. I need to stop someone from leaving…. I don't have time to explain…. Okay, thanks." She hung up and sped toward the train station.

When she got there she looked around for Caitlin. She searched the whole station, her nephew cradled in her arms. By the time she found her sister, she knew it was too late. As the train pulled away, Caitlin glared at Jamie through the window. She could see that Jamie was shouting at her but didn't move.

Jamie watched the train dissapear, gasping in shock. She was trying to wrap her mind around what her sister had just done. Adam began to cry. She held the infant against her, trying to comfort him. She stood there like that for a long time, trying to make sense of the situation. Just as she was about to leave, a sharp pain shot through her chest. As slowly as she could, Jamie sat down on a bench. She groaned as another wave of pain rolled through her. A middle-aged woman walking by noticed and stopped.

"Miss, are you okay?"

Jamie shook her head and held the baby out to her. As the woman took Adam, Jamie clutched her chest and fell forward onto the floor. The last thing she saw was a crowd of people surrounding her. She could hear voices but they seemed to be far away. Another, much more intense wave of pain caused her to fall unconscious.

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Lucas felt anger rolling through him. He had just learned that Whitey had witnessed Dan shoot Keith. Lucas couldn't believe that the coach had waited so long to come forward. On top of that his sister was nowhere to be found. It had been almost an hour and there was still no sign of her. He was debating whether or not he should call her when a frantic looking Peyton walked through his door.

He sat up and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Luke, it's Jamie. There's something wrong with her heart."

"HCM," he whispered, his eyes filled with shock. "We never had her tested for HCM."

He jumped up and grabbed his car keys. He pulled Peyton into a hug. "She'll be okay."

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Karen looked up as Haley walked through the café doors. She could see that the young woman had been crying. "Haley what is it?"

Haley sat down at the counter. "I was at the train station, picking up my parents because they decided to visit for the week." She stopped and drew in a deep breath. "Karen, you better sit down."

"I think I'll stand." Karen was getting more worried by the second.

"I saw a huge crowd, and two paramedics rushing toward it. I went over to see what was going on… It's Jamie. Her heart…"

Karen gasped. "Oh my god. She has HCM." Haley nodded solemnly.

"There's more. Apparently, when she came into the station, she had a baby with her."

Karen looked bewildered. "What? Are you saying that she has a child?"

Haley held her hands up. "I don't know. I tried talking to the paramedics but they wouldn't tell me anything. I called Peyton and told her to go get Lucas. Then I came straight here."

Karen hurried around the counter. "Let's go." She offered Haley her keys. "Can you drive? I don't think I can right now." Haley nodded and hugged Karen before hurrying out the door.

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Lucas sat in the waiting room. He looked at Peyton. She was holding his sister's nephew. He shook his head at how absurd the situation was. Based on what witnesses at the train station said, Jamie had come in the station, chasing after her sister. Her sister had gotten on a train and left, leaving Jamie standing there with the baby.

He looked up as his mother and Haley came rushing in. He stood up to hug Karen. When she finally let go, he pulled her toward a chair.

"Mom, you should sit down. This stress isn't good for the baby." She complied and looked at her son.

"How could we be so stupid? How could we forget about the HCM?"

"I don't know Mom." Lucas looked at the floor, guilt very evident on his face. Karen looked past her son at the baby in Peyton's arms.

"Lucas? Whose baby is that?"

Luke put a comforting arm around his mother. "He's Jamie's nephew. Her sister came into town yesterday. I guess the two of them got into an argument on the way to see if Jamie's sister could get emancipated or something, and her sister got on a train and left."

Karen nodded. "That explains why she called me and asked for directions to the train station."

At that point a doctor came out and walked over to Karen. He just happened to be the same doctor that had treated Karen when Dan attacked her. He sighed and glanced down at his clipboard. Unable to stand it any longer, Karen stood up and asked him if Jamie was okay.

"Well Ms. Roe, we managed to stabilize her thanks to your son telling us about the possibility of her having HCM. Unfortunately she flat-lined for about sixty seconds and she still hasn't regained consciousness."

"Is she going to be alright?" Lucas, Karen, and Peyton all asked at once.

The doctor cleared his throat. "I don't know. If she regains consciousness within the next twenty-four hours, I'd expect her to be fine. All she'll need it to start taking medication."

"What if she doesn't wake up before then?" Karen asked frantically.

"After twenty-four hours, her chances of waking up become slimmer with each passing hour."

Karen choked back a sob and leaned into her son's hug. Suddenly she gasped. "Oh my god. I think my water just broke."

Lucas and the doctor immediately helped Karen onto a gurney. "Nurse! I need this patient taken to the maternity ward and prepped for a premature delivery." The doctor yelled his orders and turned back to Lucas. "Son, you can go with your mother. If there are any changes in your sister's condition I'll let you know."

Lucas nodded his thanks and ran off after his mother.

Haley turned to Peyton. "Are you okay? You seem kind of out of it."

Peyton looked down. "Haley, there's something I have to tell you. I just need you to promise not to freak out."

"What is it? I promise not to freak out."

"I… Jamie and I are sort of… more than friends." Haley sat in silence, slightly shocked by her friend's confession. When she realized the amount of fear Peyton was going through, she sat down in the chair next to her and put her arm around her shoulder.

"It's okay. I'm sure she'll wake up."

"Thank you for being so understanding. We haven't told anyone except Karen and Lucas but I needed to get that off my chest."

"Whoa," a deep voice said, looking down at them. Haley jumped up and hugged her husband. She told him what was going on. He sat down next to Haley. Silence fell upon them. Wanting to lighten the situation, Nathan joked,

"Hey, this means that Luke owes me ten bucks." Haley and Peyton looked at him angrily. "Sorry. I was just trying to lighten the mood. I'm happy for you two." He said, smiling at Peyton.

They sat there for a couple of hours until Nathan stood up. "I need to get some air."

"I'll come with you." Haley said, standing up as well. She turned to Peyton. "Are you going to be okay?"

Peyton nodded and waved her hand towards the door. "You guys go. He finally fell asleep and I don't want to wake him." She carefully laid Adam in his carrier.

Hours passed. Haley went to check on Karen and Nathan left to try to find his mother.

Peyton wiped the tears away and stretched her arms and legs. She was considering trying to get more information on her girlfriend when she heard a whimpering voice call her name.

"Peyton? Is Jamie okay?"

Looking up, she saw Caitlin standing there, looking guilt-ridden. Instead of answering she stood up and slapped the girl across the face.

"Peyton!" Lucas yelled. She turned and saw him standing there. "What are you doing?" Peyton shook her head and walked over to him. She pointed at Caitlin and whispered,

"That's Jamie's sister. She's the reason Jamie might die." Overcome with emotion, she collapsed into Lucas' hug and sobbed into his chest. He turned around so that neither of them would have to look at Caitlin. When they finally broke apart and turned around, they both gasped in shock. Both Caitlin and the baby were gone.

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A/N: I hope that was better. I'll try to have chapter 13 up as soon as possible. Also, I have been thinking about somehow working Daunte into this story. Let me know what you think.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: This chapter will be my own version of the episode "Songs to Love and Die By."

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. I just own my original characters and my story.

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**Chapter 13**

Lucas led Peyton to a seat and tried to reason with her. "Peyton… You need to go home and get some sleep. If she wakes up I'll call you."

Peyton, however, was very adamant about staying. "Luke I can't leave. What if something happens to her? I…"

"Peyton, do you really think Jamie would want you sitting here? She'd want you to go home and rest. You've been here all day."

Lucas sat down next to her and pulled her into a sideways hug. Suddenly he pitched forward and clutched his chest. "Lucas!" Peyton yelled. He reached up and grabbed her hand. They stared at one another for a moment then Lucas' grip weakened and he slumped down, his eyes falling closed.

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Peyton jerked awake. She looked around, trying to remember where she was. When she looked at the unconscious form of her girlfriend lying in the hospital bed she remembered. "I woke up from my nightmare, only to find myself in another." She stood up and walked over to Jamie's bed. "Hey sweetie" she said softly, taking Jamie's hand in her own. "So are you planning on waking up anytime soon? You're baby sister really wants to see you."

Sitting down, Peyton wiped the tears from her eyes. "I really need you to come back to me."

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Lucas looked down at the infant in his arms. Despite all of the horrible things that had happened over the past few days, he couldn't help smiling. When Karen saw his smile she laughed. "It's been a while since I've seen you smile."

"I can't help it. I'm just so happy she's here." He smiled again as he handed his baby sister to his mother.

"Lucas do you want to talk about Brooke?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Not yet. Right now I'm still trying to figure out how I could have forgotten about Jamie being at risk for HCM."

Karen shook her head. "I know how you feel, but we can't dwell on it. We both should have thought about it, but right now I need you to stay strong. If Jamie wakes up she's going to need someone to take care of her, and I don't want to place that solely on Peyton. I'll also need help from you. This baby needs her older brother."

Lucas nodded and jerked his head toward the door. "I'm going to go check on Jamie."

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Jamie sat up and looked around. _What the hell? Why am I in the train station? More importantly, why am I the only one here?_ As she stood up she realized that she wasn't alone. "Hey!" she yelled, running toward the man standing in the doorway. Before she could get there however, he turned and walked through.

"Hey wait up!" Jamie called as she ran through the door. She stopped when she realized that she knew the man standing there. It was her father. "Dad?" she whispered faintly. He held his arms open and she ran into his hug. "Dad, I missed you so much."

When she finally let go of her father she took in her surroundings. She was shocked when she saw that she was in her old house. "How… wait, does this mean I'm dead?"

"No. You're not dead."

"Dad… about the accident. I'm so sorry. I-I…"

"Jamie, there's no need to apologize."

"Yes there is. Dad… I killed you. It doesn't matter that I didn't mean to. I took you away from all of these people that love you." Jamie stopped, overcome with grief. Her father once more pulled her into a hug.

"Jamie you have to move past this. It's nobody's fault. Yes you made some bad decisions that night, but so did I. I shouldn't have sprung the truth about your adoption on you like that."

Jamie pulled away started walking around the room. "Sometimes I wish you had never told me. You'd still be alive, everyone in my family wouldn't hate me… I don't know. It seems everywhere I go people get hurt. Everyone in Tree Hill would be better off without me."

Will Bradshaw shook his head. "Do you really believe that?" Jamie nodded. "Well then, let me show you something." He walked to the front door of the house and opened it. The two of them stepped through, into Peyton's bedroom. Jamie gasped in shock as she saw her girlfriend passed out on her bed, which was littered with empty cocaine vials.

"What the hell is this?"

"This is a world where you didn't come to Tree Hill. You see, because you never came here, Peyton was never able to move on from Lucas. She turned to drugs."

The two of them turned to see Larry Sawyer walk into the room. He ran to his daughter's side and tried to wake her.

"It's time to go." Jamie's father pulled her away and through the door, into Karen's house.

"What happened to her?"

"She overdosed. She died later that night. So you see? You coming to Tree Hill saved her life. Because she fell in love with you, she was able to move on from loving Lucas."

Jamie turned and looked around. "So who are we visiting now? Lucas?"

"No. We're here to see your parents."

"My parents? You mean Karen and Dan?" Her father simply nodded and walked into the kitchen. Jamie was surprised when she saw Karen cooking at the stove and Dan sitting at the table leafing through a stack of papers. "Don't tell me they got back together."

"They did."

"But he killed Keith. I heard him say it."

Her father held up a hand to silence her. "Just watch."

Karen turned and looked at Dan. "What's wrong?"

Dan cleared his throat. "Karen… there's something I've kept from you for a long time. When I tell you this, you're probably never going to forgive me."

"What are you talking about Dan? What did you do?" Karen turned back and pulled a frying pan out of a drawer. She set it on the stove and waited for Dan's confession.

"I shot Keith." Jamie could see pain fill her mother's face as the news sank in. She noticed how Karen gripped the handle of the frying pan tighter. Dread filled her as she realized what was about to happen.

"I don't want to see it. Take me away from here." Jamie shouted frantically. Will nodded and led his daughter through the back door. "What happened to them? She killed him didn't she?"

"Yes. She went to prison for murder and her little girl was sent to a foster home."

"I know what you're doing. You're trying to show me reasons why I should wake up."

Her father smiled. "You caught me. Well, is it working?"

"No! You haven't shown me anything that makes me think anyone would be better off if I didn't die."

"Jamie, do you really think that everyone would be better off if you died?" Jamie nodded sadly.

"I do."

"In that case, come with me." Will turned and reopened the back door of Karen's house, leading them into Tree Hill Hospital. They walked to Jamie's room where Peyton and Lucas sat at her bedside.

"Why are we here? I thought you were showing me a world where I didn't move here."

"This Jamie, is the real world. Inside that room are two people who need you."

Jamie laughed cynically. "They don't need me. Nobody needs me. Everywhere I go I just cause people pain."

"Jamie, you know that's not true. You have done so much good in your life."

"Good? Good? I killed you. I pushed my mother down a flight of stairs. I've basically made everyone I grew up with hate me. My sister is such a mess because of me."

Will grabbed his daughter's shoulders. "Stop it. Look in that room. If nobody needs you, then why did your brother call you? Why are you the one he turned to? Do you want to know what happened to Lucas in the world where you never came into his life?"

Jamie crossed her arms. "No. I don't want to see how horrible Lucas's life would have been without me. None of that stuff matters. I'm here. Me dying won't make the stuff you showed me come true."

"Look Jamie, I'm not here to show you the future. I can only show you what has already happened."

"Yeah and you say it's all good, but how do you know that they wouldn't be better off without me?"

"What about Peyton? She has fallen hopelessly in love with you."

Jamie laughed. "Yeah I'm not sure how that happened. She deserves better than me."

"But she wants you. Just think about how much it will hurt her if you die."

Jamie shook her head and turned away from the doorway. "I know. I love her so much and I want to be with her. I'm just afraid of hurting her."

"Well Jamie, I think it's time for me to go."

"Wait. I have to ask you something. Can you ever forgive me for killing you?"

Will sighed. "Jamie… the accident wasn't your fault."

Jamie turned to look at her father with a confused look on her face. "What are you talking about?"

Instead of answering, her father pulled her through a door and into an empty intersection.

"Where are we?" Jamie asked, already knowing the answer.

"This is where I died. You need to see how it happened."

"What? I don't want to watch you die!"

"Jamie, shortly after you had your heart attack, your lawyer called your cell phone. They went back over my car and found out an interesting detail."

Jamie heard the sound of a car approaching. Her eyes filled with tears as she saw her father's car heading toward the intersection. She then turned and saw her own car barreling down the road headed for them. What shocked her was that her father's car wasn't slowing down. "Dad? Why aren't you slowing down?"

"My brakes went out. That's why you hit me. The reason everyone thought I was just pulling out was because I was going so slow. I put the car in neutral and tried to stop. So you see? The accident wasn't your fault. It was nobody's fault. Now you have your reason to move on. You have your reason to live."

Jamie turned as the cars slammed into one another. When she opened her eyes she realized that she was lying in a hospital bed. Her breathing slowed down and she looked around. It was dark. It was obviously hours later than the scene she had seen through the hospital door.

She saw that Peyton was sitting in a chair, slumped forward with her head resting on the bed. Jamie reached out and pushed a few curls out of Peyton's face. Peyton immediately woke up.

"Jamie?" she asked, unsure if she was dreaming or not.

Jamie cupped her girlfriend's cheek in response. "You didn't think I'd leave you did you? I was just taking a nap."

Peyton smiled and took Jamie's hand in her own. "Just promise me you'll never scare me like that again."

"I promise."

Peyton went to get a doctor and to tell Lucas and Karen that Jamie was awake. The doctor looked her over and told her that she could go home the next day but that she had to take it easy and do physical therapy for a couple of months.

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A/N: Please review and let me know what you think. I'm thinking about setting the next chapter a couple of months after this one. Let me know if this is a good idea.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: This chapter picks up three months after the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I think it's obvious by now that I don't own One Tree Hill.

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**Chapter 14**

Lucas opened his eyes. He looked around, trying to figure out where he was. As he sat up pain filled his head. "Ow. What the hell?"

He heard a sigh and looked up to find his sister standing there holding a bottle of water and two aspirin. "Thanks" he mumbled, quickly downing the medicine.

"You know, this 'studying for your finals' excuse isn't going to fool Karen for much longer. Luke, I know you're going through a really rough time. I get the drinking. I just wish you'd let people in."

Lucas sat up and swung his legs off the couch. "It's not just about the baby. So much has happened the last few years. I'm tired of dealing with it."

Jamie sat down next to her brother. "Lucas look at me. If there's any one person who understands running from your past, it's me."

Lucas snorted. "Oh please. All the stuff you were dealing with wasn't your fault. You don't have anything to deal with anymore."

This comment was the last straw. His sister stood up and walked over to the kitchen counter. "You're lucky you're hung over. You know that isn't true. What happened to my father was my fault. I ran out of my house and took off. I drove recklessly and I killed him. Even though his brakes went out, I chose to be driving there. I made a mistake and I have to live with the consequences for the rest of my life."

Lucas started to argue but stopped when he saw tears in his sister's eyes. He stood up and walked over to her. "I'm sorry. I just can't deal with this. You have no idea what it's like to lose a child."

"Yes I do… sort of."

Lucas grabbed his sister's shoulders and turned her around to face him. "What are you talking about?"

"The accident… I… I can't have children because of my injuries." Lucas pulled Jamie into a hug.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea."

"I haven't told anyone. But that's not the point. I've dealt with it. I just wanted to show you that you can let me in. Maybe I don't know exactly what you're going through, but I can help you."

Lucas walked back to the couch and began gathering up his stuff. "I'm sorry Jamie. I just can't. I can't dump this on you."

"Lucas you're being an idiot. I want to help you" she said, raising her voice a little.

He simply shook his head. "I don't want to hurt you anymore." He stuffed his wallet in his pocket and grabbed his car keys. Jamie watched him walk out the door, trying to figure out what he had meant.

"Lucas wait!" she yelled, following him outside. "What do you mean by hurt me? You haven't hurt me."

"Yes I have. Every single day that I took my medication I should have thought about you having HCM."

"Luke I'm fine. I don't blame you for that. You have to let it go."

He shook his head. "No. I can't." Without another word he walked down the steps and got in his car.

Jamie went back into her apartment. She couldn't believe how horrible things were going. She had thought that things would get better after she got out of the hospital but she had been wrong. Both Karen and Lucas blamed themselves for her heart attack. Karen at least, was dealing with it. Lucas had decided to solve all of his problems by drowning them in alcohol.

Picking up her cell phone, Jamie walked out the door and got into her car. "Peyton…. Yeah…. Derek's flight gets in today instead of tomorrow? That's great!…. Okay I'll see you tonight…. Yeah he got drunk again…. I don't know where he went…. I don't know how much longer I can deal with it…. Yeah I'm on my way to Karen's right now…. Yeah I'm going to tell her. I know that she'll probably be mad at me for helping Lucas hide it but he needs help…. Okay I'll talk to you later."

Jamie hung up the phone and started her car. Talking to Karen about Lucas's drinking was not something she wanted to do but it was something she knew she had to do.

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Haley sat on her couch staring at the envelope in her hands. It was from Duke University. She wanted to open it but she was terrified of what the letter might say. Nathan had been accepted and Haley wanted to go with him. Finally she took in a deep breath and opened the envelope. Before pulling the letter out she walked over to the sink and got a glass of water. She took a few gulps and set the glass down. She pulled the letter out, read it, and fainted.

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Peyton watched joyfully as her brother walked toward her with his luggage in hand. She ran forward and hugged him.

"Hi Peyton." Derek said with a laugh. The two of them walked out to Peyton's car and loaded Derek's belongings into the trunk.

The drive to Peyton's house was relatively silent. Once they got home and got the spare bedroom set up for Derek, they managed to sit down and have a real conversation.

"So how have you been Peyton?" was the first question out of Derek's mouth.

Peyton laughed and thought about it. "Well things have definitely been interesting since you've been gone."

"So is that good or bad?"

"Both. Bad stuff has happened but a lot of good things have happened too."

Derek sighed and asked the question that he had wanted to ask since he got off of the plane. "So did Lucas ever get over Brooke and realize how much you two belong together?"

Peyton bit her lip. "No that definitely didn't happen."

"I'm sorry Peyton. He's obviously an idiot."

"No it's okay. I've actually been dating someone else."

Derek's eyebrows raised. "Oh really? Who?"

Uncertainty filled Peyton. She wasn't sure how her brother would react to the news that she was dating a woman. She decided not to find out until she had Jamie there to support her. "You'll just have to wait and find out tonight at dinner."

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Karen looked up as her daughter walked through the back door. "Is April asleep?" Jamie whispered. Karen nodded.

"Is everything okay? You look kind of nervous."

"Karen, I have something to tell you…. and you're probably going to be really mad at me."

They sat down at the kitchen table. "What's going on Jamie? Is something wrong?"

Jamie nodded. "It's Lucas. All of those nights he spent at my apartment, he wasn't really studying for his finals. He was there because he's been drinking. He didn't want you to find out and I've been covering for him. I thought I would be able to help him get through this deal with Brooke but I can't. I know I should have come to you sooner."

Karen didn't say anything at first. She stood up and went back to the cleaning that she had been doing before Jamie showed up. "It was very foolish of you to keep this from me… but I can understand why you did it. Plus, Lucas is an adult. We can try to reach out to him but if he doesn't want to stop drinking then we can't force him to."

Jamie was surprised by Karen's reaction. "Wow. I thought you'd be mad at me."

Karen put her sponge down and came back to the table. "I'm not mad because I know that you were doing the best you could with a difficult situation. You've been such a big help. Not only have you been adjusting to having this heart condition and dealing with Lucas but you've basically been running the café for me."

"It's not a big deal."

Karen noticed her daughter still seemed to be in a bad mood. "Are you okay? You look like something else is bothering you."

Jamie sighed rested her chin in her hand. "I'm worried about my relationship with Peyton. Her brother Derek got back in town today and she's really worried about how he'll react when he finds out we're dating."

"Jamie I'm sure that even if Derek doesn't respond well that it won't change you're relationship. She loves you."

"I know that. I know I shouldn't worry about it but she really cares about what her brother thinks."

Karen sighed. "This isn't the first time something like this has happened is it?"

Shaking her head, Jamie lowered her eyes to the table. She took a deep breath then sat up and looked at her mother. "No. My first girlfriend couldn't deal with her parents not supporting us and she broke up with me."

"I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I wish the world could just be a more accepting place."

Jamie nodded. "It's just so hard. I've been trying to be the strong one and help everyone else but I don't know if I can do it anymore. It bothers me that I can't help Lucas or do more for you and April."

Karen smiled and shook her head. "Sweetie you're already doing to much. Nobody expects you to solve everyone's problems."

"I know that. I just feel lost. Like I have no future."

"What are you talking about?"

"I got a letter from Tree Hill University."

Sadness filled Karen. She already knew why her daughter was so upset.

"You didn't get in?"

Jamie shook her head and quickly wiped away the tears that were forming.

"Have you told Peyton yet?"

"No. I figured that if things are still okay between us after tonight I'll tell her."

Suddenly a loud crying noise came from the other room. Jamie laughed. "Do you want some help?"

"Yes, but not with this kid. I need you to try and find Lucas. Just tell him that I want to talk to him."

Jamie nodded and hugged her mother before quietly leaving.

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Lucas watched the basketball bounce away from the hoop and roll towards him. He picked it up but instead of throwing it in the hoop, he hurled it into the river.

"I'm not diving in after that thing you know."

Lucas turned to see Jamie standing there watching him. "God, can't you just leave me alone?"

"Sorry Luke, but I'm your sister and that's what sisters do. They bug you."

Despite his annoyance, Lucas laughed. "So why are you here? Come to tell me I can't sleep on your couch anymore?"

"No. I came to tell you that Karen wants to talk to you. I told her about your drinking."

Rolling his eyes, Lucas walked over to the bleachers and sat down. "You really don't know how to mind your own business do you?"

"You know what Luke? When I have to pick you up from bars every night and bring you home so you can pass out on my couch, I think it becomes my business."

"Yeah well I never asked you to come pick me up. Why don't you just leave me alone."

Jamie walked over to him and he stood up, ready to argue. "Like I said Lucas, I'm your sister. I'm not going to abandon you. I'll be here for you, ready to talk when you decide to let me in."

"Well I don't want to let you in!" Lucas yelled.

"Oh my god! You're drunk right now aren't you? It's barely been two hours since you woke up!"

Lucas stepped forward and got in her face. "What I do is my business so leave me the fuck alone!" He tried to walk away but Jamie got in his way. "I told you to leave me alone!" he screamed. He then shoved his sister, causing her to fall to the ground. When he saw what he had done he appeared to sober up a little.

"Jamie I'm sorry" he said as she stood up. He tried to reach his hand out but she slapped him across the face.

"You want me to stay away from you? Fine!" Then, ignoring his calls, she ran to her car and drove off. When she got back to her apartment she called Nathan, Haley and Peyton and asked them all to come over.

Once everyone had arrived Jamie tearfully told them what happened at the river court. They all sat in silence, the shock clear on their faces. Eventually Haley spoke. "I can't believe he would do that. We need to get him help."

Nathan sighed. "Or maybe I need to go kick his ass."

"No!" Jamie shouted, startling them all. "I don't want any of you to confront him. Look, he was really upset and he was drunk."

"I don't care." Peyton said firmly, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. "It doesn't matter how upset he was. He doesn't have the right to hurt you."

"Peyton's right." Haley said standing up as well. "We have to talk to him. All of us, preferably when he's sober."

"Not today though" Jamie said, looking at all of them sadly. "I think we're all a little too mad at him right now. Let's just get back to our day and tomorrow we'll make him listen us."

"I don't want to leave you alone though. He might show up." Nathan said, putting his arm around Haley.

Jamie shook her head in disbelief. "Guys! Even if he does show up he's not going to hurt me. He didn't mean to in the first place. You didn't see his face Nathan. When he saw what he'd done it looked like his heart was breaking. I was just too pissed at him to care so I ran off."

The four of them agreed to make an attempt at an intervention the next day and Nathan and Haley left. When they were gone Peyton hugged Jamie tightly.

"I'm sorry your brother's being such an ass. But don't worry. I won't let him hurt you. Remember, I've got a big strong Marine brother at home."

At the mention of Derek Jamie pulled away. "So are you ready to tell him about us?"

Peyton rested her head on Jamie's shoulder. "I guess we don't have a choice. I accidentally let slip that I'm dating someone. I just hope he accepts us."

Jamie sighed and rubbed Peyton's back. "And if he doesn't then he's an idiot and he can just pack his stuff and go."

Peyton pulled out of Jamie's embrace and gave her a hurt look. "Jamie! How can you say that? He's my brother. If he can't accept us then…"

"Then what? You're going to break up with me? I can't believe you care so much what one person thinks."

"That's not fair." Peyton responded as she began pacing around the room. "Of course I care what he thinks. Other than my dad he's basically the only family I have."

"And what about me?" Jamie asked as tears filled her eyes. "Peyton I know you're just scared but it feels like you're ashamed of me."

Peyton stopped her pacing and walked back to her girlfriend. "I'm sorry. I'm not ashamed of you. I just can't stand the thought of losing another member of my family."

"I understand that Peyton… I just… when I think that I might lose you it hurts so bad. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

The two of them held each other for a while. When they came apart Jamie whispered, "I'm sorry I got so upset. We'll tell your brother about us tonight, and if he can't accept us then I'll support any decision you make. I love you and I can't stand the thought of losing you but I want you to be happy."

"Thank you. I'm going to get going so I can get this meal cooked. I'll see you at six okay?" Jamie nodded and kissed Peyton goodbye.

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That evening, at six o'clock, Jamie rang Peyton's doorbell. She was greeted by a nervous looking Peyton. "Hey. Where's your car?"

"I was really nervous so I walked to clear my head." Peyton nodded and started to walk toward the kitchen but Jamie grabbed her hand. She spun Peyton around and kissed her. "I'm right here. Don't worry."

The two young women walked into the kitchen. Derek looked surprised when he saw Jamie. "Peyton I thought it was just going to be three people. I only set out three sets of silverware."

Peyton cleared her throat. "It is just the three of us."

Sympathy filled Derek's face as he thought he figured out the situation. "Oh did your date flake on you? I'm sorry."

Peyton gave Jamie a brief apologetic look. "Yeah. Luckily I have my best friend here to keep us company." She started to continue but saw the hurt look on Jamie's face.

"Peyton…"

"Jamie don't. I…

Jamie didn't let her finish. She turned and ran they could see her cry. She ran aimlessly until she couldn't run anymore. She collapsed to the ground and sobbed. Eventually she stood up and looked around. As she watched the sun set she realized that she had no idea where she was.

She immediately reached into her pocket for her cell phone but couldn't find it. _Oh my god! I must have left it at home! Now what do I do?_

She began walking, hoping to find a street that she was familiar with. After half an hour of wandering around, fear raced through her. She could hear footsteps behind her. She continued walking for another couple of blocks and the footsteps continued. She walked quickly, hoping that whoever it was would go away but the footsteps only seemed to get closer. Eventually panic took over and she started running. She looked over her shoulder and saw that a man was running after her. She managed to contain her scream and she ran as fast as she could.

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A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger. I just thought that this would be a good place to stop. Please review. I'm really sad about the amount of reviews I've had. Even if you hate it, tell me. If I'm doing something wrong I need to know.


	15. Chapter 15

Thank you to anyone who reviewed. Just to make sure nobody gets confused, I want to explain something. I had originally planned on simply ignoring the entire deal with Daunte on the show but as I began writing this chapter I changed my mind. I just couldn't resist the temptation to rewrite it to fit my story. So if things seem a little confusing at first don't worry. It will all be explained by the end of the chapter. Also, Lucas never rejoined the basketball team.

Disclaimer: If I owned One Tree Hill we would not have had that ENOURMOUS wait between new episodes.

**Chapter 15**

Jamie was feeling out of breath. She didn't know how much longer she could keep running and she could tell that the man was gaining on her. Suddenly a black car skidded to a halt about ten feet in front of her. She stopped running when a dark skinned man climbed out and held his hands up to stop her.

"Miss it's okay. He's not trying to hurt you. You dropped your phone and he was trying to return it."

The man who had been chasing her came running up and offered Jamie her cell phone. Jamie breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry. I thought you were some kind of weirdo or something." The man nodded in understanding and got into the driver's seat of the car.

"I'm Daunte," the remaining one said, shaking Jamie's hand. "I'm sorry we caused you so much distress Miss Bradshaw."

Jamie let go of his hand and stepped back. "How do you know my name?"

Daunte held his hands up in defense. "I've seen you on the news. I went to Tree Hill High with your father."

"Oh." Jamie said, letting herself relax. "Well thanks again for bringing me my cell phone. I better call someone to pick me up."

"I understand. See you around." Daunte walked over to the car. "Oh, and tell your brother good luck on his upcoming game." With that he got into the car and they drove off.

Jamie was confused by Daunte's last comment but decided to worry about it later. She flipped open her cell phone and turned it on. The screen flashed: BATTERY LOW. Overwhelmed with emotion she dropped to her knees. Screaming in anger she punched the sidewalk several times.

_Oww. Big mistake_ she though as pain shot through her hand.

"Jamie?" a familiar voice called. Jamie looked up and saw Brooke standing in front of her car. "Are you okay?"

Brooke walked over to Jamie and helped her stand up. When she saw the blood running down Jamie's hand she gasped.

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing! Come inside and I'll wrap it up for you."

Jamie shook her head. "That's okay. You look like you were leaving. I don't want to hold you up."

Brooke grabbed her arm and steered her toward the front door of Rachel's house. "Come on inside. I was kind of hoping that I could talk to you about Lucas.

Inside Jamie sat on Brooke's bed while Brooke washed her hand and wrapped it. Once she was finished Jamie patted the bed and said, "Sit down. You want to talk about Lucas… then we'll talk about Lucas."

Brooke sat down and sighed. "Okay but first, why were you punching the ground? And why were those two men out there talking to you?"

Jamie rolled her eyes. "I dropped my cell phone and the one guy tried to give it to me but I thought he was some kind of psycho and I took off running. I hit the ground because I've had an incredibly bad day and I guess I kind of flipped out."

"What happened?"

Jamie was surprised by Brooke's curiosity but decided that she would take this opportunity to vent her feelings.

"Well, for starters, I had to deal with a hungover Lucas this morning. I tried for the billionth time to get him to open up but he still blames himself for my heart attack and he's upset about…"

She trailed off, not wanting to upset Brooke. Brooke bit her lip and nodded for her to continue.

"He's been upset about his issues with you and he wouldn't talk to me. Then I got a letter in the mail telling me that I didn't get accepted into Tree Hill University. That was a major downer. I went to talk to Karen about my letter and Lucas' drinking. She asked me to find him so I went to the rivercourt and he was drunk, barely two hours after he woke up hungover. We argued and…"

Jamie felt tears threatening to fall. She quickly wiped them away. "Lucas… pushed me and I fell."

Brooke gasped and leaned forward. "Oh my god. He actually pushed you down?"

Jamie nodded. "So I got really mad and drove home. I called Nathan, Haley, and Peyton and had them come over. We decided to have an intervention. It's tomorrow. Will you come?"

Brooke hesitated. "I don't know. He might not like me being there."

"Brooke he loves you. I think that's why he's so hurt. He wants to hate you for what you did but he can't. Also I'm not sure that Peyton will be there and the more people we have, the getter."

"Why won't Peyton be there?"

It was Jamie's turn to hesitate. She had no idea if Brooke knew about them. Finally she looked around and whispered, "Is Rachel here?"

Brooke shook her head. "No."

"Okay. Um, do you know about me and Peyton?"

"What do you mean?"

"We're dating."

Brooke was surprised, not only by the news that her former best friend was dating Jamie, but also by Jamie's boldness and trust.

"Oh."

Jamie sighed and covered her face with one hand. "Brooke, please don't spread it around. As mad as I am at Peyton, I don't want her to have to deal with people at school knowing."

Brooke patted her shoulder. "Hey, I would never do that. Peyton and I may not be speaking but I wouldn't hurt her like that. Anyways, why are you mad at her?"

"Well, her brother Derek came back into town today and we decided to tell him about us. I went over there and when he thought that her date had blown her off she went with it and introduced me as her best friend."

Tears fell down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Jamie."

"It's okay. I shouldn't have freaked out the way I did. I guess I put a lot of pressure on her to tell him."

Standing up she pointed at her right hand. "Thanks for this. I should get going. Can I use your phone? My battery is dead."

Brooke stood up. "I'll drive you. I'm going out anyways."

The two of them rode in silence. When they reached Jamie's apartment, Jamie thanked Brooke once more for helping her out and told her she would call her when they figured out what time to have the intervention."

When she got inside her apartment she wondered where Lucas was. She plugged her cell phone into its charger and waited for it to charge. She was tired but she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep until she made sure that Lucas was okay.

Half an hour later she dialed Karen's cell phone number, hoping that she wouldn't wake up the baby.

"Hello?" an irritated sounding Karen asked when she answered her phone.

"Karen? I didn't wake up April did I?"

"Oh Jamie, no. Actually I'm having trouble getting her to sleep. What did you need?"

"I just wanted to see if Lucas was at home. My cell battery has been dead for the past couple of hours so I don't know if he called me."

"Yeah he's here. Nathan and Haley brought him here. We also decided to have the intervention around three. Is that time okay for you?"

Jamie sighed. "Yeah. Listen, I talked to Brooke today and I asked her to come. I hope that was okay."

"Of course. The more people we have there, the better. Oh hang on. April's asleep. Let me go put her in her crib. There's something else I want to talk to you about."

Jamie waited, knowing her mother wanted to talk to her about her dinner with Peyton.

"Jamie? How did things go at Peyton's?"

"Horrible. But I don't really want to talk about it."

"Okay. There's something else I wanted to talk to you about but I think we should talk face to face. Do you mind coming over tonight?"

Jamie looked at the clock. It read 8:30. "Yeah okay. Can I just bring some clothes and stay there? That way I can help you get ready for the intervention."

"Sure. See you in a little bit."

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Karen waved her hand in greeting as Jamie let herself in the front door. When her daughter sat down across from her at the kitchen table she picked up a folder off the table.

"Okay, Jamie, I found this in your old room today when I was cleaning."

Jamie gaped. It was a folder filled with songs that she had written. It also contained a short c.d. that she had recorded.

"Uh… I…"

"Jamie I had no idea you were such an incredible musician."

"Karen, I'm not really that good."

Laughing, Karen held up the c.d. "I listened to the c.d. and you are good. Because of this, I want you to perform at Tric every other Saturday. I've been planning on getting someone to perform on a regular basis and I think this would work out."

Jamie thought her jaw was going to hit the floor. "Are you serious?"

Karen smiled. "Of course I am. And I think that you and Haley should work together on some stuff too. The two of you were incredible at the benefit show, and the recording on the c.d. was great too."

"Okay. I'll do it."

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Nathan and Haley both hugged Karen as she let them into her house. "Hey. Thanks for coming early. I told Lucas to be home at three and not to drink, so hopefully he'll show up sober."

They all walked into the living room where Brooke was already waiting. Haley hugged her and pulled her into the kitchen to talk.

"How are you doing Brooke?" Haley asked as she leaned against the counter.

Brooke drew in a deep breath before answering. "I'm scared Haley. I haven't talked to Lucas in months."

"I'm sure it's going to be okay."

Meanwhile in the living room, Nathan and Karen sat in silence. Nathan was surprised when Jamie came downstairs and asked to speak with him outside.

They went out and sat on the front porch. "What did you want?" Nathan asked, worried that it had something to do with Lucas.

"Nathan do you know a man named Daunte?"

A dark look crept onto his face. "How do you know that name?"

"Because yesterday he asked me to tell you he says good luck on your next game. Nathan what's going on?"

Nathan didn't answer at first. He sat down on the steps and ran his hands through his hair. "Look it's nothing you need to worry about."

"Nathan I kind of got the impression that there's more to his message than simple words of encouragement."

"Look, I said don't worry about it!" Nathan snapped before getting up and going back inside. Jamie sat on steps, shocked by her half-brother's outburst. There was clearly something very serious going on. _Oh well. One brother at a time. _

Just as she was about to go back inside, a familiar black Mustang pulled up in front of the house. When Peyton saw that Jamie was sitting on the steps she gave her a sad smile.

"Hey. I was hoping I'd be able to talk to you alone." Peyton said, sitting down next to her girlfriend.

"Peyton I'm sorry. I shouldn't have freaked out like that. I put too much pressure on you to come out to your brother, and I should have realized that you weren't ready."

Peyton laughed. "It's okay. I shouldn't have done what I did. I hurt you when I told Derek you were my best friend. After you left I told him and he was perfectly okay with it."

Jamie wrapped her arm around Peyton's waist and pulled her closer. "So are we okay?"

Smiling, Peyton rested her head on Jamie's shoulder. "Of course."

An hour later, Karen, Haley, Nathan, Jamie, Peyton, and Brooke had gathered in the living room, waiting on Lucas.

The six of them sat in silence until Nathan spoke up. "What should we start with? I think that maybe we should start with how he pushed Jamie down."

"WHAT?" Karen yelled, looking from Nathan to Jamie. "Is that true?"

Jamie let out the breath she had been holding. "Yeah it's true. I guess I forgot to tell you. It happened when I went to find him yesterday."

Silence filled the room once more. After a minute Karen spoke again. "I'm not really sure where to start but that should definitely be brought up."

Jamie nodded. "I think he's beyond reasoning with. I mean, I've been trying for almost a month. I just wish I had come to you sooner Karen."

Haley sighed. "It wasn't just you who didn't say anything Jamie. We all knew that his drinking was getting out of hand."

"Hopefully just seeing that there are so many people who care about him and want to help will get him to open up." Brooke said softly.

At a few minutes past three, Lucas walked through the door, hoping he could get this over with and head over to the party at Bevin's house. When he walked into the living room he was shocked to see so many people sitting there.

"What's going on?"

Karen stood up. "Lucas, can you please sit down?"

"Not until you tell you tell me what's going on."

Walking over to her son, Karen replied, "This is an intervention. Everyone here wants to talk to you about your drinking."

Anger flooded Lucas' face. "You guys are ganging up on me? I don't have to deal with this."

Jamie stood up. "No Lucas, you do. You can't keep drinking like this. We aren't ganging up on you. We just want to show you that we care."

Lucas shook his head angrily. "No. If you guys really cared, you would mind your own business."

He turned to leave but Karen got in his way. "Move Mom!" he said in a slightly raised voice.

"What are you going to do?" Jamie asked, walking over to him. "Are you going to push her down like you did with me? Can't you see that alcohol is destroying your life? You told me that you're doing this to escape your pain but all you're really doing is causing pain for other people."

Lucas felt his anger slipping away. He looked at his sister, as she appeared to be gathering up the courage to continue.

"Lucas you have to stop before you hurt someone else. Do you want to see the bruises on my back?"

Haley stood up and walked over to him. "Lucas can't you see that we just want to help you? The Lucas Scott I know wouldn't push his sister like that. He wouldn't lie to his mother."

As is seeing everyone in the room for the first time, Lucas nodded and sat down on the couch. "I guess I can listen to what you have to say."

Each person in turn expressed to Lucas how he or she felt about his constant drinking. Brooke was the last to go and she told him that she was sorry about lying to him and that she wanted to talk to him about what had happened.

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The next day Brooke sat at the café, waiting on Lucas to show up. She was nervous about talking to him. Even though it seemed like they had gotten through to him at the intervention, she was still afraid that he wouldn't listen to her.

"Brooke?" Looking up, she realized that Lucas was standing next to her.

"Hey." Lucas sat down across from her and cleared his throat.

"Listen Brooke, before you say anything, let me apologize. I shouldn't have ignored you like that. Even though what you did really hurt me, I shouldn't have shut you out. Even after all this, I still love you."

Brooke's eyes filled with tears. "Lucas I'm sorry for lying to you. I was going to tell you but when you said that you wanted to be there for the baby I just couldn't."

He nodded and took Brooke's hand in his. "I know. Can we start over? I forgive you for lying to me. Can you forgive me for shutting you out?"

Brooke nodded and wiped the tears away. "Of course. Just promise that you'll talk to me from now on."

The two of them talked for over an hour before parting ways.

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Nathan smiled as he looked at his wife's acceptance letter to Duke University. He was incredibly grateful for her decision to go to Duke with him.

"Nathan? Are you ready to go?" Haley called from the bedroom. "You know how much Whitey hates it when you're late on a game day."

Nathan's look became darker. _What am I going to do? I don't want to shave points off the game but I have no choice. I just wish that Lucas was still on the team._ Nathan straightened his tie and grabbed his car keys. Holding them in his hand he thought about the reason he still had them.

Flashback

Nathan watched the basketball fall through the hoop. He had been here for hours, trying to figure out how to get his car back. He had gone to his mother for help but she was too deep in her drugged up stupor to give him much of a response.

He now realized that buying that motorcycle had been a major mistake. He didn't have the money to get it fixed and, even if he did, Haley didn't know how to ride it.

The sound of cars approaching caught Nathan's attention. He was very surprised to see his car being driven by Daunte, the man who had wished him luck before his game the week before.

Daunte sauntered up to Nathan and tossed him the keys. "Here you go champ."

Nathan shook his head. "I can't accept this. Besides, it's against the rules for a player to accept money like this."

Daunte laughed. "Then consider it a gift. Anything to help out the man who's going to take the Ravens to the championship."

Nathan sighed, shocked by the generosity. "I'll pay you back. Every penny."

End Flashback

Nathan looked at his wife as she opened the fridge to grab a bottle of water. He was tempted to tell her but didn't want her to worry about it.

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Jamie sat on Peyton's bed with her guitar in her hands. "What do you think Peyton? Is that too mellow?"

"No. I love all of your songs."

Jamie laughed. "You're just saying that so you can get in my pants."

Getting out of her computer chair, Peyton shrugged. "So?"

She pulled the guitar out of Jamie's hands and put it on the floor. Grinning she straddled her girlfriend and brought their lips together. When the need for oxygen overwhelmed them the broke apart. Glancing at the clock, Jamie gasped. "Peyton you're going to be late for school."

Peyton reluctantly stood up. "You're coming to the game right?"

"Of course." Jamie replied, also standing up. "Do you think I'd miss a chance to watch you jump around in your cheerleading outfit?"

"Peyton?" Derek hollered from downstairs. "You're gonna be late."

Jamie laughed and pulled Peyton into a short kiss. "Come on, I'll drive you."

"Oh, I can't. I told Brooke that I would pick her up. She said that she wants to try to rebuild our friendship."

They walked downstairs where Derek was sitting at the kitchen table. "Hey Derek." Jamie said casually.

"Hey. Peyton are you leaving?" Peyton nodded. "Okay. Jamie would you mind staying for a minute? There's something I want to talk to you about."

Peyton gave her an 'I don't know what he wants' look and left. Once she was gone, Jamie turned to Derek.

"What did you want?"

"Well I was thinking that since I can't be here for Peyton's birthday, we could have a celebration for her at Tric sometime before I leave."

Jamie nodded. "Yeah sure. How big are you talking?"

"I was thinking just her close friends. That way you two don't have to pretend like you aren't together."

Smiling, Jamie replied, "Okay. Oh, I never got to apologize for running out of here the other day. Thanks for being so cool about me and Peyton."

"It's not a problem. I'm just happy that Peyton finally found someone. Also, do you think that you could keep this party on down low? I want it to be a surprise."

Jamie laughed. "I'll try. Given that she does work there, it might be kind of hard. And now I have to go or I'll be late for work."

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Later that night, Karen, Jamie and Lucas sat in the stands at the semi-final game. Jamie looked at Lucas. He was looking at Brooke with a smile. Jamie leaned over and whispered, "Stop staring at your girlfriend."

Lucas laughed and whispered back. "You first."

Karen smiled at her children. She was incredibly happy that things were beginning to return to normal.

At half-time Jamie went down to talk to Nathan.

"Nathan what's going on? I've never seen you play so horribly. It almost looks like you're doing bad on purpose."

"Jamie…"

"This what Daunte meant isn't it?"

Nathan pulled Jamie away from the stands. "Look, you have to keep this quiet. If anyone found out… I could get kicked off the team and then I would never get into Duke."

"But-,"

"It's not like we're going to lose. I just have to make sure we only win by nine points or less."

Jamie sighed. "Why are you doing this? Is it for money?"

Nathan glanced up at the stands and saw Daunte staring at him. "Remember when I told everyone that an old friend of Dan's got my car back for me? Well it was Daunte. I was told him I would pay him back and I couldn't. This is the only way I can get rid of my debt."

Shaking her head Jamie looked at the ground. "Nathan…you know I wouldn't tell anyone. I'm just a little shocked. After all, you were the one who gave Lucas that speech about letting people help you with your problems."

The game continued and just as the clock was about to run out, Nathan got fouled. As he set up to take the shot, he looked at Daunte. He threw the ball, letting it bounce off the hoop. Taking in a deep breath, he shot again. The ball hit the rim and bounced off. Although the crowd went wild, Nathan felt like he had lost. As he was swarmed by his teammates, he saw Daunte still sitting in his seat, smiling at him.

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A/N: Please review and let me know what you think. I appreciate all reviews.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews. I've never received so many for one chapter. Also, this whole thing with Daunte will not play out exactly like it did in the show. This chapter is going to be kind of dark and several peoples lives will change.

Disclaimer: What is the point of these things? Nobody on this site owns One Tree Hill.

**Chapter 16**

Lucas stared at the bottle of beer. He had promised his mother and everyone else that he would stop drinking. He had even made up with Brooke and said he wanted to start over with their relationship. Even though he knew that alcohol wasn't going to solve any of his problems, he couldn't help craving the feeling he got when he was drunk. He loved not having to care about anything.

His hand reached for the bottle. He chugged down a few gulps of the beer and felt the familiar tingle of alcohol. The beer didn't last long however, and he quickly turned to the bartender for something stronger.

At a table in the back, Jamie sighed and looked at Haley. The two young women stood up and walked up to the bar. They took seats on opposite sides of Lucas. When Lucas realized they were there he looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Haley… Jamie… I-,"

"Save it Luke." Haley said, holding up her hand. "We don't want to hear your excuses. Just let us take you home."

Jamie nodded. "That's why we've had you on alcohol watch. We told you we would be here for you."

Lucas allowed them to steer him to Haley's car. As he sat in the back seat he asked them not to tell Karen that he'd been drinking.

"Absolutely not. Hiding your relapses isn't going to help." Haley said as she pulled out onto the road. "You made it three days without drinking. That's a good start."

"But we also know you can do better." Jamie said, looking back at her brother. "We want to help you Lucas. If you feel like everything gets to be too much, call one of us."

The rest of the drive was silent. Haley dropped Lucas and Jamie off at Karen's where Jamie followed Lucas in through his door. He flopped down on his bed and she went to talk to Karen. When she entered the living room she saw her mother holding her infant sister, trying to get her to go to sleep.

Walking over and sitting down, Jamie held her arms open in offering. Karen handed April to her and sighed. "Thank you. I've been trying to get her to sleep for almost an hour."

"No problem."

"I'm guessing that you and Haley brought Lucas home."

Jamie sighed and rocked her baby sister. "Yeah. I can't believe he only made it three days. After what he said at the intervention I thought he was going to stick with it."

Flashback

Lucas sat on the couch, his face hidden in his hands. He had just listened to everyone talk about how they would be there for him and was trying to figure out what to say in response.

"I'm sorry." He said weakly. "I'm sorry that I hurt you all. I can see now that what I've been doing is wrong. I thought that by closing myself off I was preventing my pain from reaching anyone else. Jamie, I'm so, so sorry for what I did to you. Pushing you down was something I never thought I was capable of. I swear, to all of you, that I'll stop using alcohol to solve my problems and to start letting people in."

All of the women had tears in their eyes. Lucas asked them all to give him a minute alone with Brooke so they went into the kitchen.

After a brief silence, Haley said what they were all thinking. "Do you think he meant what he said?"

Nathan sighed and put his arm around his wife's shoulders. "I think he meant it, but that doesn't mean that he'll stop. When my mom promised to kick her pill habit she meant it but look at her now."

"So what do we do?" Jamie asked, glancing toward the living room to make sure Lucas wouldn't hear.

"We watch him." Karen said softly. "We make sure that he has someone watching him constantly. If he goes somewhere to drink we confront him and bring him home."

End Flashback

Jamie looked down at her baby sister. She was sound asleep. Karen smiled and took her upstairs to her crib. As she was walking back into the living room her eyes fell upon the white bandages on Jamie's right hand.

Karen hadn't believed the story Jamie had told her about falling down and banging her hand on a door. "Jamie?" she said, sitting down. "Can I ask you a question?"

Jamie was surprised by her mother's tone. "Yeah. Is something wrong?"

"No. At least I don't think so. I just need you to promise to answer this question truthfully."

Not liking the worried tone in Karen's voice, Jamie pulled on leg underneath her and turned so she was facing her mother. "Of course. What's going on?"

"How did you really hurt your hand?"

Jamie hadn't been expecting that. She stuttered out a response. "I-it's not what it l-looks like."

Karen's worst fears had just been confirmed. "You did this to yourself didn't you?"

Jamie looked at her knees, unable to meet her mother's gaze. "Yes."

"Jamie, why did you do it?"

"I didn't mean to hurt myself. I just… It was the day I told you about Lucas' drinking, and my dinner with Peyton. I ran out of there and ended up getting lost."

Karen started to say something but Jamie cut her off. "Look it's not like I wanted to get into a fist fight with the sidewalk."

"I know that. It's just that, with your history…."

Jamie looked at Karen in disbelief. "I can't believe that you would bring that up. I'm not going to try to kill myself again."

"I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. It just worries me."

Jamie stood up and crossed her arms. "I know. I'm sorry I got mad. And maybe I do have a problem when it comes to dealing with things, but you don't have to worry about me hurting myself."

Karen stood up and hugged her. "I'm glad to hear you say that. But next time you're so upset like that, call me."

"Okay. But now I have to go. I have a couple of things to do before I meet Derek at Tric to plan Peyton's party."

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Nathan watched Daunte's car drive away. He sighed and turned around but jumped when he saw Jamie standing there.

"You said it was over Nathan."

"Stay out of this Jamie."

"No. Look Nathan, I've been thinking back to that night when I met Daunte, and something doesn't add up. When I couldn't find my cell phone, I walked, trying to find somewhere familiar. It was at least half an hour before I heard footsteps behind me. The only explanation I can come up with is that Daunte was following me."

Nathan sighed and shot his basketball into the hoop. "I'm taking care of it. You don't need to worry about it."

"What did he tell you to do this time?"

Turning back to his sister, he finally let his brave façade fall. "Look, you can't tell anyone about this, especially Haley."

Jamie nodded. "Okay."

"We needed money for bills and stuff and my mother refused to help, so I borrowed money from Daunte."

"Nathan!"

"I had no choice."

"Of course you had a choice. Anyways how much did you borrow?"

"Ten grand. And obviously I don't have the money to pay him back so now I have to lose the championship."

Jamie looked like she wanted to hit him over the head. "How many bills do you have? That's an insane amount of money."

"Haley's pregnant. We just found out. On top of that we were going to lose the apartment."

Jamie's jaw dropped. "Nathan I'm sorry." She hugged her brother and sighed. "I think I can help you out."

Nathan stepped back and looked at her like she was crazy. "How?"

"My father left me $10,000."

"Don't you need it?"

"I'll get buy. I've got the job at the café and I'll be performing at Tric every other week."

Nathan shook his head. "I don't want anyone else getting involved."

Jamie sighed. "I think it's a little too late for that. Look, just tell me where to find Daunte and I'll get the money to him."

"Jamie I don't know how to thank you. This is so generous of you."

"You don't have to thank me. The money isn't being used and you need it."

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Daunte looked up as a tall blond woman was led into his office. "Miss Bradshaw. Well this is quite a surprise." He nodded to the man who had led her in. The man left and closed the door. "So Miss Bradshaw, what can I do for you" he said in a voice that sounded pleasant and evil at the same time.

"Save the niceties. I'm here to take care of my brother's debt." Jamie held out a check.

Daunte took the check and read it. Laughing he shook his head and offered it back. "You have a lot of guts coming in here."

Jamie crossed her arms. "That's the exact amount that Nathan owes you. Just take the money."

"I can see that you're a young woman who likes to watch out for your family. If you want to help Nathan out, make sure he loses the game on Friday."

"What are you gaining from this? Why can't you just take the money and stay out of our lives?"

Daunte laughed again. "I could take your money, or I could make 20 times that by betting against the ravens."

"Leave Nathan alone or I'll-"

"Or you'll what?" he hissed, pushing her up against the wall.

"Let go!"

"No. Not until you listen. Nathan is going to lose that game. If he doesn't, well I would hate to see anyone get hurt. His pregnant wife, his brother, or maybe Karen and her new baby. Get my drift?"

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Derek looked over the papers Jamie had handed him. "Looks good. Are you sure Karen won't mind us rearranging the place like this?"

Jamie laughed. "There are advantages to being the daughter of the owner. Now what were the ideas you had?"

"Okay, well I was thinking that for the happy birthday song, we should all go up on stage and sing it. Can you play the song on the guitar?" Jamie rolled her eyes. "Okay, I guess you can." Derek said with a laugh. "Now you have to make sure you can keep Peyton distracted while we get the place set up."

"No problem."

"Okay then. I better get going. Peyton wants to do a brother/sister bonding thing. If you want to come I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Jamie shook her head. "No, that's okay. You're leaving in two weeks and Peyton should get to spend some quality time with you."

Derek smiled in thanks and walked out the door, nodding to Nathan as he came in.

"Hey."

Jamie didn't respond. She merely looked at the table.

"Did you go see Daunte?"

She nodded.

"Well?"

"You're going to lose the championship game on Friday."

Nathan sat down at the bar next to her. "What? He didn't take the money?"

Jamie shook her head. "He said he'd make a lot more if the Ravens lose."

Nathan noticed that his sister was trembling. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"No, but he could if he wanted to. He's dangerous Nathan. I think we're in over our heads."

Nathan patted his sister's hand. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this. I'll just have to make sure we lose the game."

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Jamie worked her way through the crowd of people, looking for Lucas. Eventually she found him talking with Brooke.

"Hey bro. Still sober?"

Lucas smiled. "Yep. Hey Brooke, can you give us a minute?" Brooke nodded and gave him a quick kiss.

"What's up?" Jamie asked.

"Are you okay? You look like you've got something on your mind."

Jamie looked into her brother's eyes, debating. The anxiety of all of this was getting to her but she didn't want him to worry. "It's nothing. I'm just a little anxious about the outcome of the game."

Lucas grinned and slung an arm around her shoulders. "I know what you mean. I just wish I could be playing."

Jamie smiled back at him and told him to go find his girlfriend. As he started to walk away he turned back and said, "I never thanked you for getting her to come to the intervention. If it wasn't for you we may have never gotten back together."

As he walked away, Jamie went to find Peyton. When she finally found her she asked her to come talk to her in private. They went into the bathroom and Jamie checked all of the stalls. Once she knew the coast was clear she kissed her girlfriend passionately.

"Wow." Peyton said when they came up for air. "What was that for?"

Jamie took Peyton's hands in her own. "I just want you to know that I love you. And I'm sorry if I've been a little distant lately."

"Is everything okay? You look like you're worried about something."

"No. There's some stuff going on."

"What is it? You're starting to scare me."

"Nathan's going to throw the game."

Peyton gasped. "What?"

"He borrowed money from this bookie guy and he couldn't pay him back. The guy told him to lost the game to take care of his debt. I tried to help him out with my dad's money but…"

Peyton cupped Jamie's cheek. "What is it?"

Jamie choked back a sob. "He said that if Nathan doesn't lose the game, someone he cares about might get hurt. I'm sorry I hid this from you. It's just… I didn't know what to do."

"It'll be okay. I just wish you had told me."

"Promise me you won't say anything. This guy is really dangerous. I didn't want to tell you but I hate hiding stuff."

Peyton wrapped her arms around Jamie. "It's okay."

"You better get back out there. The game is about to start."

They went out and Jamie went to sit with Karen and Lucas. As she was walking she glanced up where Daunte was sitting. He sent her a smirk. When she sat down Lucas turned to her and whispered, "Jamie, there's something I need to talk to you about."

The twins went down and stood by the doorway to the gym. It was nearly deserted since the game was due to start in only a few minutes.

"What's going on Luke?"

"Nathan told me he's going to throw the game." Jamie looked down, unable to tell her brother that she already knew. "Jamie? Did you know about this?"

"Lucas just leave this alone. It's important."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Why because of Daunte?"

Jamie grabbed his arm and pulled him into the hallway. "Yes. Look there's nothing you can do about it. I know you want the Ravens to win, but some things are more important than basketball."

Shaking his head, Lucas started to walk back in. "I won't let Nathan do this. I told Skills. He's going to freeze Nathan out and make sure we win."

Jamie watched him walk away in horror. She leaned against the wall and tried to think of a way to warn Nathan. Unable to think of anything, she hurried back in and took a seat next to Karen.

The first half of the game Jamie watched as Nathan and Skills practically fought each other for possession of the ball. When the half-time buzzer rang, Jamie let out a little sigh of relief. The Ravens were down by a considerable amount and as long as Nathan continued to play like he had there was no way the Ravens would win.

She heard a shout and looked down to see Nathan and Skills yelling at each other. She and Lucas both ran down and pulled them into the hallway. Lucas gave Nathan a disappointed look and pulled Skills toward the locker room. Nathan turned to Jamie.

"I don't think I can do it."

"Nathan you have to."

"Look, this game could decide whether several guys on this team go to college. So many people's future depends on this game."

Jamie shook her head and started pacing. "And what about your future Nathan? How much do think Haley is going to care about you winning this game if you aren't around to celebrate with her?"

Walking back to the doorway, he said, "Look, I can take whatever Daunte does to me. This game is too important to throw it away."

Jamie stood in the doorway watching her younger brother walk to the locker room. _What am I going to do? Nathan just doesn't realize how dangerous Daunte is. _As she walked back to her seat, she looked around at all the people she cared about. She knew she couldn't stand by and watch them get hurt but she didn't know what to do.

The second half of the game had Jamie on the edge of her seat. Nathan was playing his hardest and was working with Skills to quickly bring the score up. They played incredibly well but were still a point down as the buzzer was about to ring. Whitey called a time out and gave them a final pep talk. With fifteen seconds to go, Jamie held her breath. Time seemed to slow as Skills ran down the court and at the last second passed the ball to Nathan. Nathan took position and sunk the ball into the hoop."

Jamie watched as the crowd swarmed Nathan. Feeling like she was going to faint, she escaped into the hall and began walking around. After a while she returned to the gym. She saw that the crowd was pulling Nathan outside and that Lucas, Haley, Peyton, Brooke, and Karen were all with them. She looked around for Daunte but didn't see him.

The sound of her cell phone startled her. "Hello?"

"Jamie? Where are you?"

"Peyton I'm in the gym."

"Okay. Are you riding home with Karen and Luke or do you want to ride in Theresa's van?"

"I'll ride with Karen and Lucas."

"Okay. Well I'll see you at the café for the party. I love you."

"I love you too." Jamie hung up the phone and held back tears. _Nathan what have you done? Daunte isn't going to let this go. I've got to figure out something to do._

She went outside and joined her mother.

"Hey there you are! Are you ready to go?" Jamie nodded and followed Karen and Lucas to the car. As she climbed in the backseat her phone went off.

"Hello? Hello?" Jamie put her phone back in her pocket. She had a feeling that she knew who was calling her.

"Everything okay?" Karen asked from the front passenger seat.

"Yeah."

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The party was already in full swing when they arrived at the café. It was over an hour before Jamie could get Nathan on his own. When she pulled him off to a corner to talk he held up his hands.

"Look, I'm not going to apologize for what I did. Letting Daunte scare us was a mistake."

"No Nathan. You just don't get it. When I went to pay him, he shoved me up against the wall and said that he would hate to see anyone get hurt."

Nathan sighed and leaned his head on the wall. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

"Would you have done anything different? Look, arguing about what we should have done is pointless. We need to figure out what we're going to do."

Standing up, Nathan turned to look at his wife. "I can't let anyone get hurt, but I don't know what to do."

Jamie glanced around and made sure nobody was eavesdropping. "Look I think I know a way to fix this but I need you to be out of the loop on it."

"No. This is my mess. It has nothing to do with you."

"Look, I think Daunte called my cell phone earlier. Nobody spoke, but I think it was supposes to be a message."

"Just forget about it. If we show Daunte he isn't scaring us he'll go away."

"No Nathan, he won't! He's got to be furious. He lost an incredible amount of money."

Nathan shook his head. "So what are saying?"

"I'm saying that we need to go to the police. We're in way over our head."

"And tell them what? We have no proof. Unless he actually does something there's nothing we can do."

After that Nathan walked away and avoided Jamie for the rest of the night. After a couple of hours Nathan and Haley left. Only Lucas, Karen, Brooke, and Peyton were there with her.

Peyton pulled Jamie into the back room and asked, "Are you okay? You've been kind of out of it since you and Nathan talked."

"I'm scared Peyton. I don't know how things got so messed up so quickly. It doesn't help that Nathan wants to just forget about it and act like nothing happened. Daunte isn't going to let this go."

Peyton hugged Jamie tightly. "Do you think he'll hurt Nathan?"

"I don't know. I think that he would hurt anyone close to Nathan. Listen, have Lucas drive you home. I'm going to go talk to Nathan and see if we can figure out some way we can get help."

Lucas took Peyton home and Karen and Jamie closed up the café. As Karen got in her car, Jamie said she was going to stay for a couple more minutes to make a phone call.

Once her mother was gone, Jamie pulled out her phone and dialed Nathan's number. "Hey. I'm coming over. We need to explain all of this to Haley." Before he could argue she hung up and walked to her car. Just as she was about to get in it she heard a noise. Whirling around she saw Daunte, flanked by two of his goons, standing right behind her.

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Lucas woke up to the sound of someone pounding on his door. "What the hell?" he muttered. Opening the door he found a frantic looking Nathan standing on the porch. "Nathan? What are you doing here? It's after midnight."

Nathan walked into the room. "It's Jamie. She was supposed to come over to the apartment but she never showed. She's not answering her cell, she not at her apartment, and her car is still outside the café."

Lucas rubbed the sleep from his eyes and shook his head. "What are you saying?"

The younger Scott brother paced the room. "I think Daunte took her. Damn it. I should have listened to her. I should have just lost the game."

Lucas stood there, deep in thought. "Okay. I'm going to call Detective Riley."

"That won't be necessary."

Nathan and Lucas whirled around to the open door. Daunte and Jamie stood at the door. Daunte made sure that they could see the gun he had pointed at her. "Everyone keep their mouths shut, or I'll shoot her." He shoved Jamie forward and closed the door quietly.

"What did you do to her?" Lucas asked venomously when he saw the bruises on his sister's face.

"Don't Lucas." Jamie said quietly. "Don't give him the satisfaction." Daunte put his free hand on Jamie's shoulder.

"You should listen to your sister and keep you mouth shut. Nathan, I'm disappointed. I thought you had more sense than this."

"Just let them go." Nathan tried to reason. "I'm the one who made you lose all that money. They had nothing to do with this."

Daunte jabbed the gun in Nathan's direction as he responded. "You listen here! When you chose to win that game, you threw your life away. But first, I'm going to make you watch your brother and sister die. Then we're going to go to your home and you can watch your wife and unborn child die."

Jamie started to move but Daunte grabbed her and shoved her into the wall. He pointed the gun at her and looked at Nathan and Lucas. "Say goodbye to your sister." He looked at Jamie maliciously.

"Please don't." Jamie whimpered. "Please. We're just kids."

Daunte stood back and trained the gun on Nathan before backhanding Jamie. She slumped to the floor, clutching her cheek. She looked Lucas in the eyes then saw that he had his hand tightly clasped on the handle of a baseball bat. Daunte was too busy telling Nathan how it was all his fault to notice.

Jamie nodded and swung her leg into the back of Daunte's knee just as he pulled the trigger. Nathan fell and Lucas swung his bat into Daunte's head. Running to his brother's side, Lucas dialed 911. Nathan sat up and shook his head.

"I'm okay. It just hit my arm." Lucas helped him up and had him sit on the bed just as Karen burst into the room.

"What the hell? Oh my god!" She looked like she was going to pass out when she saw the scene before her. Lucas and Nathan were sitting on the bed, Lucas holding a shirt against Nathan's bleeding arm, and Jamie was still on the floor, crying uncontrollably.

Daunte wasn't moving and there was a pool of blood by his head. Soon sirens began to sound in the distance.

Nathan was loaded into an ambulance and taken to the hospital. As he was loaded into the ambulance he was already dialing Haley's cell phone number. Jamie was looked over but refused to go to the hospital. Instead she sat with Lucas and recounted everything that had happened. She even told them about Daunte threatening them and telling Nathan he had to lose the championship game.

Lucas, Karen and Jamie watched as the detective on the case talked with the other police and forensics investigators and made a couple of phone calls. About thirty minutes after the police had arrived, the detective, along with two uniformed cops, walked over to them.

"Lucas Scott, you're under arrest for murder. Jamie Bradshaw, you're under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder. Officers cuff them and read them their rights.

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A/N: How's that for a cliffhanger? Let me know what you think.


	17. Chapter 17

Thanks for all of the reviews. I appreciate all of them. Okay, a couple of things before this chapter begins. First, I messed up on what they arrested Jamie for. I should have put accessory to murder instead of conspiracy to commit so that's what it will be. Also, I know it seemed kind of ridiculous that they would be arrested when it was obviously self-defense. I did that on purpose. Just read and you'll see why. Finally, I don't have a clue what Daunte's last name is so I'm making one up.

Oh yeah, I don't own One Tree Hill.

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**Chapter 17**

Karen watched in horror as the two officers handcuffed her children. "No! Stop it! They didn't do anything" she yelled, clutching baby April to her chest.

The detective grabbed her shoulders to prevent her from going after her children. "Ms. Roe, please calm down.

"Why are you doing this? They didn't do anything wrong!"

"Ma'am we have reason to believe that they and their half-brother lured Daunte McAfee here tonight to kill him."

Karen shook her head. "That's ridiculous. None of those kids are capable of murder. I know them."

"I'm sorry but a judge agreed to issue warrants for their arrest."

"Based on what? A man comes into my home with a gun and tries to kill my kids and you arrest **them**? This is ridiculous. Excuse me. I need to find a babysitter so I can get down to the police station.

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Lucas and Jamie were marched into the police station and taken to separate interrogation rooms.

Inside the room, Lucas stared down the detective.

"So Mr. Scott, do you want to tell me what happened tonight? And I mean the whole story. We know that your sister drove Daunte to your house. We know your brother Nathan, who I can assure you will face the same charges as your sister once he's released from the hospital, owed Daunte a lot of money."

"I already gave my statement. I don't have anything else to give you."

The detective smiled smugly. "Okay then. How about I tell you my theory then. Your brother Nathan borrowed a large sum of money from Mr. McAfee and couldn't pay it back. Mr. McAfee told him to lose the state championship and he didn't. No, instead he had your sister lure Daunte to your house, where you two were waiting. What you three didn't count on was Daunte bringing a gun. I think that when he realized what was going on, Daunte knocked your sister down and pulled the gun out. It was too late of course. You were already swinging your bat and all he managed to do was shoot Nathan in the arm."

Lucas couldn't help but roll his eyes. "That has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."

"Careful Mr. Scott. Are you sure you don't want a lawyer present?"

Glaring at the detective, he continued. "Daunte had my sister at gunpoint and he forced her to drive him to my house. He was planning to kill me and Jamie, then to kill Nathan's wife. We were acting out of self-defense. None of us are murderers."

Detective Finn flipped open a folder. "Are you sure about that? Let's see… You were arrested almost four months ago for nearly beating your father to death. Jamie… well her record just screams psychopath. Not only was she convicted of vehicular manslaughter, but she tried to kill her mother and then landed in a mental hospital for slitting her wrist. The jury's going to love this one."

If his legs hadn't been handcuffed to the chair Lucas probably would have jumped at Finn. "My sister is not a psychopath. You're seeing murderers where you should be seeing victims. We thought… no we knew that Daunte was going to kill us in cold blood. Jamie saw that I had my hand on the bat so she kicked him to distract him. It's a good thing she did too because if she hadn't that bullet probably would have hit Nathan in the chest."

Meanwhile, in a room down the hall, Jamie was sitting with her legs cuffed to a chair and a phone in her hand. As soon as she had been placed there and told to wait she asked for a phone to call her lawyer.

"Okay. Thank you for agreeing to come all this way." She set the phone down on the table and buried her face in her hands. Fighting back tears, she tried to go over everything that had happened in case she forgot something. After about ten minutes the door opened and Detective Finn walked in along with a regular officer.

"Well Miss Bradshaw, you've had your phone call. Are you ready to answer some questions or do you want your lawyer here?"

"Where are my brothers?"

The detective sat down across from her. "Lucas is being booked as we speak. I'm sure that Nathan will be in police custody within minutes."

Jamie crossed her arms. "Well can you tell them that I'm taking care of their lawyers? I've got two on the way here from my hometown."

Finn nodded. "So you're paying for them? With what money?"

"What relevance does that have to your investigation?"

The detective smirked. "So I take it you want your lawyer with you?"

Jamie shook her head. "I've been telling the truth from the beginning. I've got nothing to hide, so ask away."

"Where did you first see Daunte tonight?"

"Outside of Karen's Café. I was about to get into my car when him and two other guys snuck up on me. They tried to force me into my car but I fought back. That's how I got these." She pointed to the bruise and three cuts on her face."

"And what about the one on your chin?".

"Daunte backhanded me in Lucas' bedroom."

"So why did you stop fighting?"

"Like I said in my police report, he pulled out his gun and told me to get in."

"Can anyone confirm your story?" He said with a smirk.

Jamie glared at him. "I don't know. I was a little too preoccupied with not getting shot to go ask people if they saw what happened."

"If you weren't planning to kill him, why would you drive him to a house where your mother and her infant were?"

"I guess that it's a kind of hard to think clearly when you've got a gun pressed against your head."

"Did you want Daunte dead?"

Jamie leaned forward. "Look, my brother made a mistake by borrowing money from Daunte. But that doesn't make us murderers. We didn't try to set Daunte up. He said he was going to kill us. He said he was going make Nathan watch us die then make him watch his wife and unborn baby die. So yeah when I saw Lucas gripping the bat, I knew that he had to be stopped. I kicked him so Lucas could hit him without getting shot, but I was doing it to save our lives, not to kill Daunte."

Detective Finn stood up. "That's your story, but we've got several witnesses that saw you and Nathan having an argument at Karen's Café."

Jamie sighed. She didn't know what she felt more, anger or fear. "We were scared that Daunte was going to do something."

"So you and Nathan plotted to kill him."

"No!" Jamie yelled, jerking against the handcuffs holding her to the chair.

Finn shook his head in an almost disapproving manner. "You might want to learn how to keep your anger under control. With your history… let's just say that a jury wouldn't be surprised that you're capable of a horrible murder like this. And believe me, we'll be going for maximum sentence." Jamie fought tremendously hard to keep her tears from leaking out. "Book her." He opened the door but turned around and said, "I guess your brother should have won that game."

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Haley looked up as two police officers walked into Nathan's hospital room.

"Mr. Scott the doctor said you've been released."

Nathan nodded. "Do you need to ask me some more questions or something? I was hoping to go see my brother and sister."

"I'm sorry Mr. Scott. I'm afraid we're going to have to take you in. You're under arrest for accessory to murder."

Haley gasped and looked back and forth between Nathan and the officers as if she was waiting on one of them to tell her that this was some kind of joke. "You can't arrest him. That man shot him. He's a victim. If Luke hadn't hit Daunte then my husband would probably be dead."

"Lucas Scott and Jamie Bradshaw have already been taken into custody." The officer pulled out handcuffs but then remembered that Nathan's right arm was in a sling. "Mr. Scott, since you're wearing that sling we can skip the handcuffs but we need you to promise not to try anything."

Nathan nodded solemnly. "No." Haley moaned, hugging Nathan firmly.

"Haley it'll be okay. We didn't murder anybody and I'm sure they'll realize that.

Nathan was taken to the police station and interrogated just as his siblings had been.

While he was recounting what happened, Lucas and Jamie were both in holding cells. Lucas had talked to his mother on the phone and found out that everyone was meeting at Karen's house early in the morning to figure out what was going to happen.

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Karen welcomed Haley, Peyton and Brooke into her house with many hugs and tears. Eventually they all sat down at the kitchen table to sort through the mess.

"What about lawyers?" Brooke asked, clearly still in shock.

Karen patted her hand. "Jamie's taken care of it."

Haley rested her head in her hands. "Does Deb know?" Karen nodded in response.

"She's on her way to see Nathan right now."

A knock sounded at the front door. Karen opened it to find two men in suits standing on the doorstep, each holding a briefcase.

"Are you Karen Roe?" Karen nodded "I'm Carl Mason, this is Bobby Andrews. We're going to be representing your children and their half-brother."

The two lawyers came in and said that the bail hearings were going to start at ten thirty that morning and that they were all welcome to come to all of them. After that they left to prepare.

Peyton stood up. "I'm going to see Jamie. She hasn't had anyone visit her." Haley and Brooke also decided to go to see Nathan and Lucas.

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"Miss Bradshaw you have a visitor." Jamie stood up and followed the officer to the visitor room. She sat down on the stool and picked up the phone.

"Peyton."

"Hey sweetie. Are you okay?"

Jamie shook her head.

"My lawyer said that it's basically our word against the detective's."

"Well shouldn't the three of you be more credible, considering that you were there and he wasn't."

"It's Nathan's debt to Daunte. That on top of the fact that because Nathan won the game Daunte lost $250,000 gives us a reason to want him dead. At least, that's what Detective Finn said." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I should have just gone straight to the police when Daunte threatened us. I could have at least got him on assault charges."

"Jamie, I've been thinking. I'm going to call my dad and see if he can send some money for your bail. I can also ask Derek."

"I have a feeling that they're going to hold me without bail. With my past they'll say that I'm a flight risk."

Peyton choked back tears. "I can't stand this. Why is this detective trying to pin this on you guys?"

Jamie's look darkened. "Peyton I think he has some other motivation for having us locked up. I…."

"What is it?"

"I'm just not sure we'll be able to prove our innocence."

"Don't say that. I need you to come back to me."

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"Mr. Scott you have a visitor."

Lucas walked out and sat down. He wasn't prepared to see Brooke's tear-stained face looking at him from the other side of the glass.

"How you doing pretty girl?"

Brooke let her tears fall. "Lucas why is all of this stuff happening? We were just starting to put our lives back together."

"I'm so sorry you have to deal with this Brooke. Hopefully I can get out on bail and find a way to prove we didn't set Daunte up."

Brooke sighed. "Luke your mom isn't doing very well. Haley and I are going to stay with her until you get out."

"Thank you. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Lucas what are we going to do if you get sent away? I know I shouldn't be thinking these things but…"

"It's okay Brooke. I've been thinking them myself."

Brooke nodded. "Lucas I'm going to go. I'll be there at your hearing." She dropped the phone and left. Lucas knew it was because she didn't want him to see her break down crying.

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Nathan watched Haley walk away. She had been a mess, worried about what would happen to their baby if he went to prison. As the guard marched Nathan back to his cell he glanced at the clock. It read _8:38_. Nathan could feel his anxiety building. They had to wait almost two hours for the bail hearings.

Meanwhile on the other side of the holding area, Jamie was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. _This is it. My life is over. Detective Finn knows we didn't murder Daunte but he insists on going after us. I feel so helpless. I just wish I could see Peyton. _When her thoughts turned to her girlfriend she felt tears sliding down her cheeks. _God why is everything so messed up? Even if the judge will let me out on bail there's no way I could afford it. _

She remained in that position for what seemed to her like days. She wiped her eyes when the guards showed up to take her to the bail hearing.

As she walked into the courtroom she saw her support. Karen, Peyton, Haley, and Brooke. She sent Peyton a sad smile as she walked past.

"Court is now in session." The judge looked at the Assistant DA and nodded for her to begin.

"Your honor, we would like to request that the defendant be held without bail."

"What do you base your request upon?"

"Your honor we believe the defendant to be a flight risk. We also believe that based upon her criminal history she is a danger to society."

Jamie's jaw dropped. She turned to her attorney. "What the hell? My conviction got overturned."

The lawyer stood up. "Your honor, my client does not have a criminal record."

The ADA was ready for this however. "Your honor, although her conviction was overturned, she spent two months in a mental institution after she pushed her adoptive mother down a flight of steps and tried to kill herself. She also has a history of anger problems. When she was sixteen she put a girl in the hospital."

Jamie gasped. If she had ever felt capable of murder, it was now. She would have liked nothing more than to strangle the assistant DA. Her lawyer stood up again. "Objection your honor. That matter was settled out of court and the circumstances were extreme. When my client came upon the girl she injured, said girl was beating up my client's younger sister."

The judge held up his hand. "You've made your point counselor. Ms. Warren is there anything else?"

"No sir."

"Very well. The defendant is to be held without bail."

Jamie felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She looked over at Detective Finn, who was preparing to leave. He had a smirk on his face. As she was being led by him she turned.

"What's in this for you Finn? What do you get from sending three innocent people to prison?"

The judge slammed his gavel down. "Order. Mr. Mason I suggest you control your client."

Jamie however, wasn't paying any attention to the judge. "Were you working with Daunte? Is that it?"

Now the judge was mad. "Take her away," he yelled."

The officer escorting her forced her hands behind her back and put handcuffs on her. As she passed Detective Riley in the last row, she sent him a meaningful look.

Back in a room at the jail, Jamie's lawyer was furious. "What the hell were you thinking? All your little stunt did was show the judge that you can't keep control of yourself."

"Calm down Carl. I didn't lose control. I did that on purpose."

Carl Mason looked like he was going to faint. "What? Are you insane?"

Jamie sighed and began rapping her fingers on the table. "No. I'm not insane. I did that to put a seed of doubt in Detective Riley's mind. Hopefully he'll do some digging and find out something."

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Nathan looked at his brother with shock. The judge had decided to grant Nathan bail and his mother had been there with money waiting. The cause for his shock, shortly after he'd been bailed out, was the judge's decision to hold Lucas without bail.

On the drive home, Nathan was silent. Haley was worried but decided to let him open up to her on his own.

At home, Nathan flopped down on the couch. Haley held a hand against her stomach. She sighed and sat down next to her husband.

"Are you okay?"

Nathan put his good arm around his wife. "No. I'm afraid of what's going to happen. If we get convicted, it's my fault. I screwed up so badly. And if I have to go away, our baby… I don't want it to grow up without a dad. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hidden this from you."

Haley started to respond but someone began knocking loudly at the door. She got up and opened it. When she saw who was out there she slammed the door shut and locked it. A small crowd of reporters was standing outside the apartment.

"Oh my god. I don't know if I can deal with this."

Nathan stood up. "I'm going to go talk to them. Maybe if I give them a statement they'll go away."

He opened the door and walked out. Half a dozen reporters began firing questions at him. Instead of answering he held up his hands. "Listen. I just want to say that my brother, my sister, and I have all been wrongly accused. This is a difficult time for my family and we would appreciate it if we could have a little privacy." He then turned and returned to the apartment, ignoring the questions of the reporters.

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Jamie stood up as her cell door opened. "Let's go." The guard took her to an interrogation room. She was surprised to see Detective Riley sitting at the table waiting on her.

"Those won't be necessary," he said as the guard started to handcuff her legs to the chair. "And you can go."

Once they were alone the detective turned to Jamie and chuckled. "Okay Miss Bradshaw. You've got my attention. What were you really trying to say in court."

Jamie leaned forward. "First, do you know if Luke and Nate got out?"

"Nathan made bail but Lucas is being held like you. Now what were you trying to tell me?"

"I think Finn has an ulterior motive. I think he's out for revenge."

Riley sighed. "Why do you think that?"

"Because we didn't murder anyone. And Detective Finn has been walking around like a little kid who just got away with something."

"Jamie if you want something from me you're going to have to give me a good reason."

"Obviously you think I'm on to something. If you didn't you wouldn't even waste your time."

"I'm going to be honest with you. I've suspected Finn of being a crooked cop for some time now. I also think that he jumped the gun in arresting you guys. I'm going to look into it but I need somewhere to start. Do you know of anything that could give Finn motivation to go after you and your brothers?"

Jamie sat back and racked her brain trying to come up with something. Suddenly it hit her. "The game! I can't believe I didn't see it before. He must have been betting with Daunte against the Ravens."

Riley nodded. "Okay. I'm going to look into it and see if I find anything."

As Jamie lay on her bed staring at the ceiling once more, she said a silent prayer that the detective would be able to prove they were innocent.

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Three days after the bail hearings, Lucas got to see his baby sister for the first time since his arrest.

He smiled as his mother held April. "Thanks for bringing her Mom. I miss you guys so much."

"I just wish they would let me see you more than once a day."

"How's Jamie doing?"

At the mention of her older daughter's well being, Karen's face fell. "As well as she can be I guess. She said that your arraignment is later today."

Lucas nodded. "Can you bring in my suit so I don't have to wear this?"

"Of course. I'm bringing Jamie clothes too."

The guard appeared behind Lucas and told him his time was up.

That afternoon Lucas sat between Jamie and Nathan in the courtroom. He could see that his sister was trembling with fear so he grasped her hand. "It'll be okay."

The judge entered and sat down. "Are we ready to begin?" he asked the prosecutor. Before she could answer, however, the door to the courtroom opened and Detective Riley marched in. "What is the meaning of this?" the judge asked angrily.

"Your honor, I have evidence that suggests Detective Michael Finn is framing these three."

The entire courtroom gasped.

The judge looked at Riley sternly. "Detective, you realize how serious this accusation is?"

"Yes sir. Upon further investigation of Daunte McAfee's home, we found a record of bets involving the recent basketball championship game. Apart from Mr. McAfee, the person who lost the most money when the Ravens won was Detective Finn." Riley handed the logbook to the judge.

After looking it over he nodded. "Very well. All charges are to be dropped."

Riley turned and smiled at Jamie before walking towards Detective Finn. "Arrest him."

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Everyone celebrated at Karen's Café that night. Lucas grabbed Brooke's hand and pulled her into the kitchen.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

Brooke smiled. "Not recently."

"Well I love you very much. Now come with me. I sort of have an announcement to make."

Lucas and Brooke went out into the main room. "Excuse me." Lucas called out. "I have something important to say." Once everyone was quiet he turned to Brooke. "Brooke I love you. These past couple of weeks have made me realize how much I missed you when we weren't talking." He pulled a ring box out of his pocket and dropped to one knee. "Brooke Davis, will you marry me?"

Brooke looked like she was going to pass out. Blushing, she grinned and said, "Yes. I'll marry you Lucas Scott."

The room burst into applause.

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A/N: Good? Let me know what you think.


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks to everyone who reviewed.

I don't own One Tree Hill. I just own any original characters that show up.

**Chapter 18**

Jamie sat at a table in the café, watching Brooke, Peyton, and Haley happily discussing wedding plans. Lucas and Brooke had decided to wait until after they graduated but Brooke wasn't wasting any time with the preparations.

Her enjoyable view of her girlfriend was soon blocked by her younger brother as he sat down across from her. "I need to talk to you."

"What's up?"

Nathan hesitated. "I have to ask you something."

"Okay." Jamie responded, not liking her brother's tone.

"The night that Daunte died… when we were arguing here… you said something and it's kind of been bugging me."

Jamie shook her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You said that you had a way to take care of Daunte and that I had to be out of the loop on it. What did you mean?"

She didn't answer at first. She looked over Nathan's shoulder at Peyton. "Nathan, please don't. I just want to put that night behind me."

"I just want to know what you meant."

"What are you trying to say?"

Nathan sighed. "I don't mean that. I know you didn't plan on killing him. It's just that what you said seemed like it was along those lines."

Letting out the breath she'd been holding, Jamie took a drink of her coffee before answering. "I wasn't going to have him killed or anything like that. You ought to know that I would never do that."

"Yeah well judging by some of the things that Haley heard about you at your bail hearing, there's a lot we don't know about you."

Jamie regretted that she hadn't told Nathan or Haley about her past. "Nathan, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about that stuff, but it doesn't change who I am."

"So whatever you were going to do was perfectly legal?"

"Keep your voice down. Look, I have secrets, just like everyone else. I came here to start my life over."

Nathan was starting to get angry. "So what were you going to do?"

"I was going to have Daunte threatened. I know people who are a lot more powerful than he was."

The disgust was clear on Nathan's face. "I guess I was wrong about you."

As he started to stand up, Jamie grabbed his wrist. "Nathan let me explain. It's not what you think."

Nathan shook his head and walked out of the café. Haley sent Jamie a disappointed look before following her husband.

Peyton and Brooke walked over to the table and sat down. Brooke set her catalogue down and asked, "What was that about?"

Jamie looked down. "Nothing. It's just some stuff about Daunte."

Peyton could tell that it was more than that but she didn't say anything. She just grabbed her girlfriend's hand and squeezed it gently. Brooke saw this and smiled.

"So we need to talk about the two of you. I want to know how this happened."

"Brooke," Peyton groaned.

"Come on P. Sawyer. You're the one who said you wanted to best friends like before. I want details. Have you two had sex yet?"

Both Jamie and Peyton gaped at Brooke's audacity. "Brooke!" Peyton hissed, trying to hide her blushing face.

"Oh my god you have!" Brooke laughed as they blushed again.

Jamie failed to hide her smile. "Brooke keep it down. My mother is here, remember?"

Brooke laughed again. "Okay whatever. I have to go meet Lucas. I'll call you later P. Sawyer. You two behave yourselves."

Despite her bad mood, Jamie couldn't help but laugh as Brooke left. Peyton once again took Jamie's hand in her own. Ever since Jamie's short stay in Tree Hill Jail, the two of them had been more affectionate in public.

"Are you okay? What were you and Nathan arguing about?"

Jamie looked down. "Can we talk about it somewhere more private?"

Peyton nodded. "Yeah. Let's go to your apartment. That way Derek won't be able to try to talk to you about my 'surprise party' at Tric."

They drove in silence. Once inside the apartment, Jamie sat down on the couch and pulled Peyton down onto her lap. "Nathan is mad because I never told him or Haley about my past. When that stupid prosecutor brought all of that stuff up at my bail hearing, that was the first time Haley heard it, and she told Nathan." She sighed and played with the bottom of Peyton's t-shirt. "I didn't mean to hide it from them. I was just trying to put it all behind me and it never came up."

Peyton slid off of Jamie's lap onto the couch beside her. She leaned in and kissed her softly. "Don't worry about it. Nathan just needs some time to deal with it. But I did want to ask you about something that was brought up that day."

Jamie sighed and rested her head on Peyton's shoulder. "What is it?"

"That woman said you put a girl in the hospital."

Jamie sat up. "Look, I've made a lot of mistakes in the past but what I did to that girl isn't one of them. When I found her, Caitlin was on the ground and that girl was kicking her in the stomach. Caitlin had three broken bones and a bunch of internal bleeding. If I hadn't stopped her she could have killed my sister."

Peyton cupped Jamie's cheek. "I understand. I just wanted to know about it."

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm still upset about my fight with Nathan. There's more to it. That night, at the post-game party, Nathan and I were trying to figure out what to do. I told him that I knew of a way to deal with it but I wanted him to be out of the loop on it."

Pulling back a little, Peyton looked into Jamie's eyes. "What was it?"

Jamie looked down guiltily. "I was going to call my stepfather. I've never really had anything to do with him in the past but I was going to ask him to have Daunte threatened. My stepfather is involved in some shady things and I know he could have done it."

"Oh my god. Jamie what were you thinking? You wanted fix things with Daunte by getting involved with someone even more dangerous?"

Jamie stood up and walked into the kitchen. She pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and drank a few gulps of it. "I wasn't thinking straight. I was so afraid that Daunte was going to hurt someone. I changed my mind about it almost right away. I would have explained that to Nathan if he'd given me the chance."

Peyton walked over and kissed Jamie. "I'm sorry. I guess we're both a little on edge today."

"What's wrong?"

"I got into a fight with Haley. She was going on about you and I told her to shut her mouth."

Jamie couldn't help but smile. "You stood up for me? I love you for that. But really, you don't have to do that. Whatever she said is probably true."

"No. She doesn't know you like I do. And besides, I don't think that she's told you all of **her** darkest secrets."

Jamie pulled out of Peyton's embrace. "Yeah but she never killed anyone. I deserve whatever she said. What I was considering doing to Daunte was horrible."

"Jamie you don't even see how amazing you are. Maybe having Daunte threatened wasn't a good idea, but you were going to do it to protect everyone. You've had to deal with so much but you still put everyone else first. Do you think I would be here if any of those things Haley said were true?"

"I love you." Jamie pulled Peyton her arms and kissed her. They began moving to the bedroom, discarding clothing as they went.

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"Look Nathan, I don't think I want to be around her right now. I can't believe the things she's been hiding."

"Haley… if that stuff had happened to you would you want to go around telling people? I can't even begin to think about how hard it must be for her to talk about it."

Haley shook her head and started tossing dishes into the sink. "I'm sorry Nathan but I just can't trust her. After what I heard at her hearing and what you told me about her plans to deal with Daunte…"

Nathan sighed. "It's not like she went through with it. I don't think she ever really planned to. She was just scared. We both were. And besides she saved my life. If she hadn't kicked Daunte when she did I would probably be dead right now. On top of that she tried to pay off my debt for me."

"Why are you standing up for her? You were the one who was mad at her to begin with."

"Haley we can't just hold her past against her like that. I talked to Karen and she explained it all to me. I was at least willing to give her a second chance. So she's had a messed up life, big deal. Everyone deserves another chance to fix things."

Haley stopped scrubbing and turned around. "God Nathan, who's side are you on?"

"Why do I have to choose sides? This is ridiculous."

"I'm sorry Nathan but I don't think I want our child being around someone like that."

"Haley! Do you have any idea how that sounds? Put yourself in Karen's shoes. How would you handle it if our kid ended up with a history like that?"

Nathan turned and went to the door. Haley looked hurt. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Jamie's. I need to apologize for the way I've been treating her lately."

Haley shook her head. "I can't believe you're doing this. Can't you just trust that I'm right?"

"Haley what did she ever do to you? Less than two weeks ago you were going on about how glad you were that she came here."

"Whatever Nathan. I guess you just can't see it. It doesn't matter."

Nathan closed the door and came back to his wife. "Haley it does matter. Please just think about what I said. I don't want to have to cut Jamie out of my life. She was there for me when I didn't have anywhere else to go. If she wasn't a good person she wouldn't have offered to give up nearly every cent she had to help me out. That's something a sister would do."

Haley leaned against him. "You're right. I'm sorry. I guess we're all just dealing with this in different ways."

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Peyton and Jamie lay in bed cuddling together. Jamie brushed a piece of hair out of her girlfriend's face. "Wow. That was amazing.

Suddenly a voice called from the front room. "Hello? I let myself in with Lucas' key. Is anyone here?" Brooke opened the only partially closed bedroom door and gasped. "Holy shit. You could have warned me."

"Brooke! Stop looking so we can get dressed."

Brooke laughed hysterically. "Why? It's so much more fun to watch you guys blush." She laughed again but went into the living room to wait. In the bedroom, Peyton and Jamie were scurrying around trying to find all of their clothes.

"Crap." Peyton whispered.

"What's wrong?"

"I think my bra and shirt are out in the living room."

Laughing, Jamie pulled a t-shirt out of her closet and put it on. "I'll go get them."

As she searched the living room she became confused. They were nowhere to be found. She was about to go back into the bedroom when she saw the smirk on Brooke's face.

"Looking for this?" she said, holding up a black bra.

Jamie laughed. "Uh, Brooke, that's **my** bra." Peyton's laughter could be heard from the bedroom as Brooke threw the bra at Jamie. Coming out of the bedroom, Peyton smiled apologetically.

"I found them. Anyways Brooke why are dropping in unannounced like this?"

Brooke pulled a magazine out of her large purse. "Well I thought we could look at prom dresses today. I'm making my wedding dress obviously but I don't have time to do one for prom."

Peyton looked at Jamie nervously. "Brooke, I'm not sure I'm going to prom."

"What? Why not?"

Peyton intertwined her fingers with Jamie's. "Because I'm just not ready for the whole school to know about us. I'm not ashamed or anything, I just don't want to have to deal with all the staring and whispering."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "You really need to pay more attention to the gossip at school P. Sawyer."

"What are you talking about?"

"People know Peyton. Or at least they've guessed. The two of you really need to work on your sneaking around skills."

Peyton sat down with a look of shock on her face. "I can't believe this. I mean, I know we've been a lot closer in public but I didn't think…"

"It's okay." Jamie said, sitting down beside her. "We knew we couldn't hide forever. Besides, no one is going to mess with you. You're dating the town psycho."

"What?" both Brooke and Peyton yelled.

Jamie shook her head. "Sorry. I guess I'm so used to people staring at me and saying things that I never even thought to tell you. I've heard a lot of people at the café talking about me."

Peyton looked shocked. "Jamie, why didn't you tell me? That's horrible. Have you told Karen?"

"No, and I'm not going to. She's got enough on her plate right now trying to take care of April. It's not a big deal. If someone says something that really ticks me off, I'll make them leave. With Karen out on maternity leave, I'm in charge of the café."

Peyton sighed. "You shouldn't have to put up with that."

"If I kicked out every person that said something about me we would lose a lot of customers. Really it's okay. I've dealt with worse."

Brooke's voice took on a serious tone. "What could be worse than listening to people talk about you all day?"

Jamie slouched down on the couch. "If you think that's bad, try going to prison. The six months I spent there felt like six years. And compared to some of the things I heard there, the stuff at the café is nothing."

"That doesn't mean it's okay for them to say those things." Peyton said, standing up. "And you know what? I think I **will** go to prom. "And I'm taking you as my date."

Brooke and Jamie stared at Peyton with surprise on their faces. Jamie stood up and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm tired of hiding. I've never really cared about what everyone thinks, so why should this be any different?"

Brooke jumped up and clapped her hands together excitedly. "Oh this is so great. We're all one big happy family. If you two get married, and Lucas and I get married, then Peyton and I will be sisters."

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Brooke you do realize that Peyton and I can't get married right?"

"Yeah but you can do that legal union thing and we can still have a big wedding, and…"

"Brooke!" Peyton yelled. "Take a breath. We're nowhere near ready for that."

Jamie nodded in agreement. "We decided to take things slow."

"Okay but I'm telling you. The two of you are meant to be together. P. Sawyer, I've never seen you happier."

Peyton hugged Brooke and said, "Thanks Brooke. It's nice to have my best friend back."

"I know. Hey this doesn't turn you on does it?" Brooke said with a laugh. Peyton pulled back and smacked her playfully.

"Brooke! You know I love you but…"

Brooke mocked sadness. "P. Sawyer, I'm hurt."

Jamie stepped up behind her girlfriend. She wrapped her arms around Peyton's waist and rested her chin on her shoulder. "Sorry. We'd let you join in but since your marrying my brother it would too weird."

Peyton and Jamie laughed when Brooke began to blush. She tried to think up a good comeback but was stumped. Peyton smirked. "Damn. I never thought I'd see the day when someone would render Brooke Davis speechless."

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Karen opened her front door to find a nervous looking Haley standing there.

"Haley, come on in. What can I do for you?"

"Karen I really need to talk to you." Karen nodded and motioned to the couch.

"Have a seat. I'll go get us some coffee."

Once they both had steaming mugs in front of them Karen asked Haley what she needed to talk about."

Haley fidgeted with the buttons on her blouse, avoiding Karen's gaze. "I… Nathan and I got into a fight, and I'm trying to understand where he's coming from but I'm having trouble with it."

"What was the fight about?" Karen asked, sipping her coffee.

"Jamie." Haley risked a glance at Karen and was met with an angry stare.

"Haley, does this have anything to do with Nathan asking me to explain Jamie's past to him?" Haley didn't speak but nodded in response. "I see."

"Karen I'm sorry. I want to understand but I just can't."

"Exactly what don't you understand?"

"Karen please don't be mad at me. I'm just having a hard time seeing past all of the things she's done."

Karen stood up and walked over to the window. "Haley I want you to understand something. Jamie has had to deal with things that most people couldn't dream of. I know you can't even begin to comprehend what she's gone through, but it isn't her fault that she's been put in such horrible situations."

Haley set her mug down and stood up. "I'm sorry. I know it shouldn't bother me so much. I guess it's just that this shows you don't always know someone as well as you think."

Karen turned to face her. "Haley stop it. You do know Jamie. She may not have been completely honest about her past, but she has never hidden who she is. If there's anything you should be wondering about, it's how she can be such a good person after what she's gone through."

"I just can't trust her. Trust works both ways. If she doesn't trust me enough to be honest…"

She stopped when she saw tears in Karen's eyes. "Haley, how do you think you would act if you were partially responsible for the death of someone you loved? Would you go around talking about how that accident messed you up emotionally, and you lost control and pushed your mother down a flight of stairs? Do you think that you would go around showing off the scars on your wrist from your attempt at suicide?"

Haley started to speak was cut off. "My daughter spent six months in prison for an accident that wasn't really her fault. She may have been angry, and she may have been speeding, but it was later discovered that the brakes on her father's car had gone out and he wasn't able to stop at the intersection."

This time Haley managed to find her words. "But she ran that stop sign."

"She made a mistake. That doesn't make her a horrible person. She's dealt with more pain than I can imagine. She had her entire family turn their backs on her, then she came here and had to deal with Dan going psycho." After saying this, Karen sat back down. "Do you have any idea how hard it is for me, knowing that my child went through all of that? I thought I was giving her a chance at a better life when I gave her up. I blame myself for everything that has happened to her."

"Karen, I'm sorry that she's dealt with a lot of crap but…"

"No! There are no 'buts' in this. Instead of going around throwing her past in her face, you should be thankful you have such a caring sister-in-law."

Haley sat down next to Karen. "I'm sorry. I understand now that she's been hurt by all of this stuff. I just don't understand why she hid it from us."

Karen patted Haley's knee. "I think she didn't tell you because she was scared of how you would react. I think you know Jamie well enough to know that she has trouble letting people in. She was here for more than a month before she told anyone. Another reason is that some of the things that have happened to her are too difficult to talk about."

"Okay. I'm sorry I upset you. Nathan was right. I shouldn't have judged her so quickly. I think that I was just shocked when I found out. That is a lot to absorb. It also hurt that she trusted everyone but me and Nathan."

Karen stood up and grabbed the empty mugs. "It's not that she didn't trust you Haley. She…"

They were interrupted when the front door opened and Skills walked in, supporting Lucas. When Karen saw the bruises and dried blood on her son's face she gasped and ran over to him.

"What happened?"

Skills led Lucas to the couch and helped him sit down. "I found him lying on the ground outside the school."

Karen sat down next to her son. "Lucas what happened to you?"

Lucas groaned and mumbled, "These guys were talking about Jamie and Peyton. I told them to shut up and they jumped me."

Skills sighed and shook his head. "I wanted to take him to the hospital but he wanted to come here."

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Let me know what you think. Next chapter will reveal the school's reaction to the Peyton/Jamie relationship.


	19. Chapter 19

Thanks for the reviews. I appreciate them all.

I don't own One Tree Hill. I only own my story and original characters.

**Chapter 19**

At the rivercourt, Jamie lay flat on her back with her eyes closed. She had been there for over an hour and she now understood why her brother came here so often. It was a good place to think. After what had happened that night, she was going to be doing a lot of thinking.

**Flashback**

Jamie walked into her mother's house after dropping off Peyton and Brooke. She noticed that there was a large amount of people in the living room so she went in there.

"Hey what's going on?" She stopped when she saw the bruises and cuts on her twin's face. "What happened? Luke are you okay?"

Lucas nodded. "I'll be fine. Just a few bumps."

Haley shook her head. "Luke we need to take you to the hospital. You might have a concussion."

Jamie sat down on a chair across from the couch. "What happened? Who did this?"

Haley let out a slow, deep breath. "It's your fault. There were a bunch of guys badmouthing you and Peyton and Lucas tried to make them stop."

"Haley stop it." Lucas mumbled. "It's not her fault. Mom tell her."

Karen sighed. "Jamie I think you need to go."

"What?" Jamie and Lucas both cried.

"Just go. I'm not saying I blame you but I can't deal with this right now. I'm taking Lucas to the hospital. When I'm ready to see you again I'll call you. Until then, please just stay away."

**End Flashback**

Jamie knew that her mother had been under a lot of stress lately and had simply reacted badly to a bad situation, but it still hurt to be told to stay away. _Why does this keep happening? Every single time things start to get better something else happens. _

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. She opened her eyes and saw that Skills was standing over her.

"Dang, you really are Luke's twin dawg."

Standing up, Jamie brushed off her jeans. "If you want to play I can leave."

"Na, Luke asked me to find you and make sure you were okay. He wants you to know that he don't blame you for what happened."

Jamie walked over and sat down on the bleachers. "You know, I get why Luke likes to come here to think."

Skills sat down next to her. "Don't worry about all of this stuff. It aint your fault. Just give your mom some time."

"But it is my fault. I thought that being more open about my relationship with Peyton would be a good thing. I never thought anyone would get hurt."

Hesitantly, Skills put a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Listen, I've never really been good with this kind of thing, but if you need someone to talk to…"

"Thanks Skills. Lucas is lucky to have a friend like you."

"Yeah, yeah. Come on. You need to go see Peyton." Jamie stood up and walked to her car with Skills. As she was opening the door Skills grinned and said, "Oh and by the way, I think what you and Goldilocks got goin on is totally hot."

Smiling, Jamie got into her car and started it. She turned to Skills once more. "Thank you for everything."

When she got to Peyton's house, she started to slow down but instead of stopping she sped up and headed back toward the center of town. When she arrived at her destination she got out and went up the stairs. Being Sunday, Tric was closed and Jamie had the place all to herself. She went into the back and took out her electric guitar and an amp. She plugged them in on the stage and started searching through the cds, quickly finding a song she could relate to.

Three Days Grace's song 'Pain' began to play. Picking up her guitar, Jamie pulled her shoulder length hair into a messy ponytail and started playing along with the song. _Finally a way to let my emotions out. _She played through that song and the songs 'Riot' and 'Let it Die'.

When she turned off the music she realized that she wasn't alone. Haley was sitting at the bar, looking extremely worn out. "Wow, I had no idea you were that good."

Jamie walked down and sat on the stool next to her. "How's Lucas? I figured that going to hospital would only make Karen angrier."

"He's fine. Just a few cuts and bruises. I'm sorry for what I said before. It wasn't your fault. And I'm not mad about you hiding your past either. Karen had just finished explaining it all to me when Skills showed up."

"And Karen? Is she still mad?" Haley nodded. "I guess I can't blame her. If it hadn't been for me, Lucas wouldn't have been hurt."

Haley patted her arm. "She's just not handling it well. She's mad but I think she knows that you can't be blamed for simply being who you are." Nodding toward the stage, Haley asked, "Why haven't you shown us how good a musician you are? That was amazing."

Jamie shrugged. "I used to use it as a way to vent my feelings. I would play as hard as I could and just let it all out."

"I know what you mean," Haley replied, nodding. "Whenever I was going through something, I would offer to close the café and once everyone was gone, I would sing."

"Thank you for understanding. I'm sorry I hid my past from you. I didn't do it on purpose. It just never came up and I was trying not to think about it. Now I just have to get Nathan to understand."

Haley laughed. "You don't have to worry about that. He talked to Karen after he stormed out of the café. We actually got into a fight because he started defending you."

Jamie looked up at her. "Are you two okay? I mean, you aren't still fighting are you?"

"No. We talked at the hospital. So what are you going to do? Are you going to try talking to Karen?"

Shaking her head, Jamie looked back down. "She said to stay away until she told me to come back so that's what I'll do."

"Jamie… there's something else." Haley's tone became hesitant and almost apologetic.

"What?" Jamie asked, turning to her sister-in-law.

Haley shook her head. "I'm sorry but I can't tell you. You need to go talk to Peyton."

Jamie's expression saddened. "Okay."

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Peyton looked up when her girlfriend entered her bedroom. "Hi," she said with a weak smile. "I guess Haley found you."

"Yeah."

"Can you at least come all the way in here and sit down?"

Jamie took a deep breath and went to stand in front of Peyton. "Don't try to sugarcoat it. Just do it."

"I'm sorry. I just… I can't do this. I love you. I really do. It's just… people are getting hurt. Please try to understand."

Jamie's breathing became heavier as she fought back tears. "I understand where you're coming from Peyton but it doesn't make it hurt any less. Please don't do this."

"Jamie…"

"I'm sorry Peyton. It feels like you're ripping my heart out." When she said this, Peyton jumped up with concern in her eyes. "I don't mean that. I'm not going to have another heart attack. I just…"

Peyton put her hands on Jamie's shoulders. "Can we still be friends? I know that sounds cliché but I don't want to cut you out of my life completely."

Jamie shook her head and pulled away, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I can't. I'm sorry but I just can't."

With that she turned and left. When she got to her apartment she collapsed onto her bed and cried herself to sleep.

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Lucas quietly let himself into his sister's apartment. He was furious at his mother for telling her to stay away. When he got inside he felt his jaw drop. Everything was gone. He walked around, starting to freak out. He looked out the back window. Jamie's car wasn't parked in its usual spot. It looked like everything that could fit in her car was gone.

Running out to his car, Lucas jumped in and drove to Nathan and Haley's apartment. After a minute of furiously knocking on the door, he was let in.

"Luke man, what the hell? It's only six."

"Jamie's gone. I was just at her apartment, and all of her stuff is gone."

Haley gasped. "Oh my god."

The Scott brothers turned to her. "What is it?" Lucas asked frantically.

"Luke… Peyton broke up with her last night."

Silence filled the room. Lucas sank into a chair. "Great. She's probably long gone by now." Pulling out his cell phone he dialed her number.

"Lucas?"

"Jamie! Where are you?"

"Lucas, I'm sorry. I can't deal with this anymore. Please try to understand. Just tell Peyton that I love her and tell everyone else goodbye for me."

"Jamie please come back. I don't want you to leave."

"I'm sorry. I just can't do this anymore. Tell everyone I'm sorry I couldn't be stronger."

Lucas sighed. "Where are you?"

"I'm at that bridge where that accident with the limo happened. Please just forget about me. Your life will be better once I'm gone. I'm sorry and I wish I could have been a better sister. I love you."

The line went dead. Lucas dropped his phone as he realized what his sister was about to do. Ignoring Nathan and Haley's questions he jumped in his car and took off. He drove faster than he ever had before. When he skidded to a halt on the bridge he saw his sister's car but she wasn't there. He ran to the side of the bridge and looked down, calling out her name. He saw ripples in the water and knew that she couldn't have been in there for long. He took a few steps back and was about to dive in when he heard he heard a voice behind him.

"Lucas what the hell are you doing?"

He turned around and saw his sister standing there holding an empty box. "Oh thank god. I thought you jumped."

"Luke I'm not that stupid. I'm leaving town, not killing myself. I was just getting rid of some stuff. I told you where I was so we could say goodbye face to face."

Before he could answer, a black mustang came flying across the bridge. When the driver saw the two people standing in front of her she swerved and slammed into Jamie's car. The mustang spun and smashed through the newly repaired guard rail and fell into the water. (A/N: I know it's kind of stupid and unoriginal but I couldn't help myself.)

Lucas stared in shock. "Peyton!"

Jamie ran to the side of the bridge and jumped without hesitation. Lucas dialed 911 and told the dispatcher what had happened. When the man said that an ambulance was on its way he threw the phone down and to the side of the bridge just in time to see his sister come up to the surface clutching an unconscious Peyton.

"Lucas help me!" she screamed. Lucas jumped into the water and helped her get Peyton to the shore. Once she was out of the water, Jamie started sobbing. She held Peyton's head and kept telling her to wake up.

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Lucas was beginning to think that he would never see the end of this hospital. He looked at his sister, wishing he could do something for her. She was standing against the wall with her arms crossed, refusing to let him comfort her.

"Lucas!" Karen yelled his name and enveloped him in a hug. "Are you okay?"

He pulled away and shook his head. "I'm not the one you should be comforting." He looked at Jamie and sat down.

Karen walked over to her daughter. "Jamie? I'm sorry…"

"Don't." Jamie hissed, her voice filled with venom. "Don't say you're sorry. Don't say that everything's gonna be okay. If Peyton dies, I'm leaving and I'm never coming back."

Shocked by her daughter's response, Karen sat down next to Lucas. "What happened?"

"Peyton broke up with Jamie because of what you said to her. Jamie was leaving and she waited at the bridge to say goodbye to me. Peyton came speeding across it and nearly hit us. She swerved and hit Jamie's car, then went into the river."

Karen let out a sigh. "Then what happened?"

"Jamie jumped in to save her. I was going to do it but Jamie didn't even hesitate. She just ran to the edge and plunged in feet first. How can you push away someone that amazing? She selflessly threw herself into that river to save someone she loved."

"Please don't be mad at me Lucas. I just didn't handle you getting hurt very well."

Lucas scoffed. "Didn't handle it well? Mom you drove her away. And now on of my best friends might die because of what you said to her."

"What do you want me to do? I can't change what I said."

"Just go. Jamie doesn't want you here and I'm not sure I do either."

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Sorry. I know I said that the school's reaction would be in this chapter but I'm holding off on that. And I'm sorry about the bridge scene. I know it's not original at all but I wanted Jamie and Lucas to witness Peyton's accident and I couldn't think of anything better. Please review and let me know if you liked it or hated it.


	20. Chapter 20

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I appreciate them all. Also, some stuff that happened on the show will be in here, but will be changed around and might be out of order. The reason for this is that I love the show and want to include it in my story but I can't write it exactly as it happened.

I don't own One Tree Hill. They belong to Mark Schwann. I do own my story and my original characters though.

**Chapter 20**

Nathan walked into the waiting room, followed by Haley and a hysterical Brooke. They walked up to Lucas and asked him about Peyton but he shook his head. "I haven't heard anything.

Haley helped Brooke to a seat then turned back to Lucas. "How's Jamie doing?"

"Not good. She won't talk to me and she's just been standing there, staring into space."

Haley went over to her and grabbed her shoulders. "Jamie? Come on, take a walk with me. Luke will call us if he hears anything."

Jamie allowed herself to be directed down the hallway. Neither of them spoke as they walked. Haley didn't push her to because she knew that Jamie was very close to an emotional breakdown. Eventually the tall blond spoke up.

"It all happened so fast. I saw the car speeding toward us. I realized it was Peyton just as Lucas grabbed me and pulled me backwards. I saw her swerve and hit my car, then I fell. I didn't see her go into the river but I heard it. I got up off the ground and jumped in. I didn't really think about it; I just reacted. When I got down to the car, the top had been torn and I was able to undo her seatbelt and pull her out. When I got to the surface Luke jumped in to help me."

They stopped and Jamie let her sister-in-law hug her as she sobbed.

"Jamie!"

She looked up and saw Derek running toward her.

"Is she okay?" Jamie just shook her head and wiped her eyes.

"We haven't heard anything."

Derek hugged Jamie. "Lucas said you saved her."

The three of them walked back to Lucas, Nathan and Brooke. They sat there for a while before Lucas practically drug his sister to the cafeteria.

"Luke I can't eat. I don't have an appetite."

"Jamie you have to eat. Starving yourself isn't going to make Peyton wake up faster. You haven't eaten anything since yesterday."

She finally gave in and ate half of a granola bar. "There I ate now let's get back."

They returned just as a doctor came out. "Who's here for Peyton Sawyer?"

The entire group crowded around the doctor. He held his hands up. "Are any of you family?"

Derek nodded. "I'm her brother." The doctor looked like he didn't believe him, but decided not argue.

"Well she's out of surgery. She had multiple contusions and broken bones, along with a collapsed lung and a lot of internal bleeding."

"Is she going to be okay?" Jamie asked frantically, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Well she's not out of the woods yet but the fact that she was pulled out of the car so quickly gives her a much better chance of survival. She can have visitors but no more than two at a time."

Once the doctor was gone Derek turned to Jamie and hugged her tightly. "Thank you. Why don't you and Lucas go see her first?"

The twins walked into the room and when Jamie saw Peyton she felt her breath catch. Peyton was covered in bruises and bandages. "Oh god." She walked forward and sank into the chair next to the bed. "Why did this have to happen? Why do all of these horrible things keep happening? Sweetie, if you can hear me, I want you to know that I love you and I'm sorry I was going to leave without saying goodbye. I need you to wake up."

Lucas slowly backed out of the room, wanting to give his sister time alone with Peyton. Jamie did not notice however. Her attention was focused solely on her girlfriend. Gently taking Peyton's hand in her own, she began to cry.

"Please wake up. You don't deserve to die. You deserve to live a long, happy life because you are such an amazing person."

She stood up and walked out of the hospital room. As Derek went in to visit his sister, Jamie pulled out her cell phone. She was dreading making this call but she knew it had to be done.

"Hello?" a male voice asked.

"Mr. Sawyer?" Jamie asked hesitantly.

"Jamie? What's going on? Why are you calling?"

Jamie sat down before responding. "Mr. Sawyer you need to come home. Peyton's in the hospital. She's been in an accident."

"What?" he yelled loudly. "Is she okay?"

Jamie had to take a couple deep breaths before responding. "No. She's really messed up. She hasn't woken up yet." She heard Peyton's father yell at someone to turn the boat around.

"I'm on my way back to shore now. We're about two hours out and it'll take another hour to get to an airport. I'll be there as soon as I can." The line went dead before Jamie could say anything else.

"You okay?" Nathan asked as he sat down next to her.

"I really wish people would quit asking me that. If it was Haley laying in that bed, would you be okay?"

"No. I just don't know what else to say. This is all so messed up. I don't understand why these bad things keep happening."

Jamie rested her head against the wall and sighed. "I think this fucking town is cursed or something. I never should have stopped and waited for Lucas. I should have just kept going. If I hadn't been on that bridge Peyton never would have gone into the water."

Nathan shook his head. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. It was just a coincidence."

"Nathan, everywhere I go, people's lives get messed up. Even if I'm not the direct cause, it has something to do with me. When Dan attacked Karen, it was because of me. When those guys jumped Lucas, it was because of me. And now Peyton is fighting for her life, because of me. I wish she had just hit me."

"Don't say that!" Nathan looked at his sister in bewilderment. "Things wouldn't be any better that way. For all you know, Peyton might have gone into the water anyway. Only you wouldn't have been able to save her."

"I'm sorry Nathan. I know that you're right and that I shouldn't be thinking like this but… It's taking everything I've got not to go back to that bridge and throw myself into the water. That's how horrible I feel."

Nathan stood up and pulled Jamie up into a hug.

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Jamie looked around, confused as to why she was standing on the bridge. Suddenly she realized that, not only was she on the bridge, but it was also before the accident had happened. She turned around and saw Peyton's car barreling towards her. She looked to her side for Lucas but he wasn't there.

"What the hell?" She looked back at the car. She tried to move out of the way but something had her rooted to the spot. Realization swept through her as she saw that Peyton wasn't swerving away from her. She closed her eyes as the car hit her. She flipped through the air and landed on her back.

Jamie's eyes flew open and she realized that she was lying on the floor of Peyton's hospital room. She untangled herself from the blanket that someone had covered her with. She waited for her breathing to slow back to normal before moving. Standing up, she saw Larry Sawyer sitting in the chair next to his daughter's bed. He was asleep, his head drooped onto his shoulder.

She walked to the door, tossing the blanket onto the chair in which she had been sleeping. As she walked toward the exit she glanced at a clock. _6:00. It's almost been an entire day since Peyton drove off the bridge. It feels like so long ago that I was about to leave. I wonder what time Mr. Sawyer got here._

Cool air hit her face as she left the hospital. She began walking in the direction of her mother's house. The initial shock had worn off and now worry had set in. She felt that she needed to apologize to Karen.

Looking down at herself, she realized that she was still wearing the clothes from the day before. Lucas had taken all of her belongings to her apartment. Her car, on the other hand, had been totaled when Peyton slammed into it. She went to her apartment to shower and change, then set out once more for her mother's house.

When she arrived she knocked on the door. When Karen answered it she immediately hugged her daughter and began rambling on in apology. Jamie let herself be steered into the kitchen. She didn't say anything, knowing full well that her mother simply needed to vent her feelings.

"…And I'm sorry that I pushed you away like that."

"It's okay. I'm not going anywhere. We both reacted badly to an already bad situation. I understand that you freaked out when you saw someone you love hurt. I've done the same thing."

"So can you forgive me?"

Jamie nodded. "I'm sorry to drop in unannounced."

"Jamie you don't have to call before you come over."

"I know, I just… I feel so numb. I can't believe that it's only been one day since the accident."

Karen sighed. "I'm so sorry you have to go through this." She began talking about what they were going to do when Peyton got out of the hospital. They had been talking for over an hour when the phone rang.

"Hello?" Karen asked as she picked up the cordless phone in the kitchen. "What? That's great news… Oh… Are you sure?… Okay, I'll tell her."

Jamie jumped up. "What is it? Is Peyton okay?"

Karen hung the phone up and sat back down. "Jamie sit down." Once her daughter was seated she continued. "Peyton's awake and she's going to be okay."

Jamie sighed with relief. "I'm going to go see her."

"Jamie wait. There's more." She hesitated which made Jamie's heart start to pound.

"What's going on?"

"Peyton… she… she doesn't want you to visit."

Jamie sat in silence. She eventually started to speak but found herself unable to.

"Jamie I'm sorry. Maybe you should just give her some time."

Shaking her head, the tall blond held back tears. "No, it's okay. I guess throughout all of this I forgot that we aren't together anymore."

Karen sighed. "I'm sorry Jamie. It's her loss."

"Please don't do that. I know you're trying to help but that isn't going to make me feel any better. I just… things were going so good." Jamie stopped, no longer able to hold back her tears.

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Peyton looked up as Brooke walked into her hospital room. She smiled and said, "Hey. I've been missing my best friend. So when are springing me from this joint?"

Brooke let out a weak laugh. "What were you thinking P. Sawyer?"

Peyton sighed and looked away. "Please don't Brooke."

"I'm sorry. You just scared me, that's all."

Looking back at her best friend she smiled. "Don't be sorry. It's nice to know you care."

"Have you seen Jamie yet?"

Peyton didn't answer. She just looked at the wall again.

"You haven't seen her? But you've been awake for hours. Why hasn't she come? Ooh, I'm gonna go give her a piece of my mind."

"I broke up with her."

Brooke was halfway out of her chair when Peyton said this. Dropping back down she quickly became sympathetic. "I'm sorry. I had no idea. But Peyton… she was so worried about you. I'm sure that if I talked to her she would come."

"I had my dad ask her not to come. I just can't see her. I feel so guilty. I almost ran her over with my car."

"I'm sure she still wants to see you."

Peyton shook her head. "Brooke, I almost hit her. After I broke up with her for a stupid reason. I'm probably the last person she wants to see. I mean…"

"Peyton you're injured so I'll forgive your stupidity."

Peyton gasped. "Brooke!"

"No, listen. That girl jumped into the river to save you. If it hadn't been for her, I'd be sitting at your funeral instead of your bedside right now."

"Brooke…"

"Peyton if you still want to be with her I'm one hundred percent positive she'll take you back. You didn't see her in the waiting room. Trust me, the only thing keeping her from being with you is you."

"I just can't. Not yet."

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Lucas smiled at his sister as he walked up the stairs to her apartment. She was sitting on the top step playing her guitar. He was a little disappointed but not really surprised that she didn't return the smile.

"How you doing?"

"I've been better."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Jamie shook her head. "I'm all talked out. The only conversation I really want to have… I can't."

"I'm sorry. I tried to convince her to see you."

"Thanks. I guess I just have to hope that she eventually changes her mind. In the mean time, I've been using all of this to write new music."

"You hungry?" Lucas asked, hoping to take her mind off of her pain.

"You buying?"

They hopped into his car and drove to the café.

Once they had sat down at the counter, one of the waitresses came to take their orders. "Jamie, hey. Are you going to be coming back to work soon?"

"Yeah. I'll probably be in tomorrow. I've been thinking that I might try to get my musical career going but I still have bills to pay."

"I could work a couple days a week if you guys need it." Lucas said, glancing around at the busy café. "That way Mom doesn't have to come back to work yet."

The brunette waitress smiled and clapped her hands together cheerfully. "That would be great. But you'll need to run that by your sister. She's in charge of the café."

Lucas turned to Jamie with a grin on his face. "What do you say boss? Can I have a job?"

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Yeah but on one condition. Brooke cannot sit there and distract you with wedding plans all day."

They all laughed and Lucas and Jamie ate dinner. Afterward they got some to take to Karen and then left. When they walked into the house they saw smoke billowing out of the kitchen.

"Mom!" Lucas yelled as he dropped the bag of food and ran into the kitchen. Jamie followed and both of them were relieved when they saw that the smoke was coming from the oven where a rack of burnt cookies lay.

"Relax Lucas. I just burnt the cookies. April woke up from her nap crying and by the time I got back in here they were ruined.

"Sorry Mom. I guess I'm just so used to chaos happening that I automatically assumed the worst."

When April began to cry Karen started to walk into the living room. Jamie stopped her and said, "I'll go take care of her."

Karen smiled in thanks and went back to cleaning up her cookie mess. As Lucas began to help her, she asked in a soft voice, "How is she doing?"

"She'd be a lot better if Peyton would let her visit. She seems so sad all the time. Even when we were laughing, it all seemed… fake."

Karen sighed. "I think I'm going to go talk to Peyton. Maybe if she knows I didn't mean what I said…"

Lucas shook his head. "I already explained that to her. She's keeping Jamie away for some other reason."

"Do you have any idea what it is?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. "I found this in Jamie's apartment. It's the key she gave Peyton. I found it when I took all of her stuff back. I think Peyton found out Jamie was leaving and that's why she was driving so recklessly."

Karen looked into the living room where Jamie was rocking April. "Have you told your sister?"

"No." he replied, shaking his head. "And I'm not going to. She'll blame herself for the accident and it's not her fault."

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The next day, as Lucas was walking into school he saw his fiancée talking with Haley. As he started to go to her one of the guys he had fought got in his face.

"Where's blondie? Is she off screwing your sister?" the guy asked loudly. Lucas threw his backpack down as students began to crowd around them. "I guess whoever painted 'dyke' on her locker was right."

Lucas had had enough. The guy was opening his mouth to say something else when Lucas' fist connected with his face. The force of the punch knocked the guy to the ground. Lucas stood over him and said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Stay away from Peyton, and my sister. Come near either one and you'll regret it.

Brooke ran after him and caught up with him at his locker. As he violently threw his books into it she tried to comfort him.

"Lucas just ignore them. They're idiots."

"Whatever," he muttered and walked away.

Brooke considered following but decided that it was probably best to give him time to cool off.

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A/N: Sorry that a lot of things didn't happen in this chapter. I've been incredibly busy with school and I haven't had much time to write anything good.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Hey everyone. I just wanted to say that from now on stuff won't be so rushed. I'll take my time to get through things and try to have more character interaction.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. I do own my original characters and story so don't use them without my permission.

**Chapter 21**

Brooke greeted Lucas with a kiss as he walked out of his last class of the day.

"Hey Brooke. I'm sorry I snapped at you this morning."

"Forget about it. Let's go do something."

Lucas smiled and pulled his fiancée into a sideways hug as they walked to his locker. "Okay. How about I take you out for a really nice dinner."

Brooke grinned and followed Lucas to his car. "Sounds good, fiancée."

Haley watched them walk away and smiled. She couldn't have been happier for them. She remembered how happy she had been when Nathan finally let her back into his life after the tour.

Placing a hand on her belly she sighed. "Speaking of husbands, what do you say we go find mine?"

"Talking to invisible people? That's pretty crazy if you ask me."

Haley turned around and glared at Rachel. "I wasn't talking to invisible people. I was talking to…"

Rachel gave her a questioning look. "Who were you talking to then? And why were you looking at your…stomach?" Rachel's eyes widened. "OH MY GOD! You're pregnant!"

A lot of people heard Rachel shout this and came running over to find out if it was true. Haley sighed. She hadn't told anyone outside her close circle of friends. She hadn't even told her parents.

"Yes okay, I'm pregnant. Now leave me alone." She then roughly pushed her way through the crowd of people and went to find Nathan. When she found him she hugged him tightly and mumbled into his chest. "What are we going to do about this baby? We can barely afford things now. Then once we get to college we'll be so wrapped up in schoolwork and studying and we won't have much time to work."

"Haley calm down. Everything's going to be okay. We'll figure all of that out later. Right now lets just worry about getting through high school."

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Jamie balanced a tray full of food as she walked across the café. There were a surprisingly large number of customers. The table she had at that moment was filled with teenage guys. As she set the plates down and turned to take the drink on her tray to a different table, she heard from behind her, "So that's the psycho chick?"

The guy had chosen the wrong day to mess her however. Whirling around she screamed, "What did you call me?"

"Nothing," the guy said nonchalantly. She narrowed her eyes but decided to just let it go. That was impossible however, because the guy sitting next to him leaned over and said, just loud enough for her to hear, "See? I told you she's crazy."

That guy was soon gasping in shock, for Jamie had spun back around and tossed the drink at him.

"Hey! This is a brand new shirt!"

"Get out!" Jamie yelled, pointing at the door. "All three of you!"

"You can't kick us out," the third guy said smugly. "You're just a waitress."

"I said get out! I'm the manager here and if you don't leave right now, I'll have you removed."

The guy with the soaked shirt stood up. "Is that a threat dyke? You gonna have your brothers throw us out?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of calling the police and filing harassment charges but your idea works too."

The guys saw that she was serious about calling the police and quickly left the café. Once they were gone Jamie set her tray down on the counter and went into the kitchen. She went into the employee bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. When she came back out she went back to work as if nothing had happened.

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Karen hung the phone up and sighed. She turned around as Jamie walked in, followed by Nathan.

"Hey Karen. We went on a run and ended up here."

"No problem. Would you two like to stay for dinner?"

Nathan shook his head. "I'm going out with Haley. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You and Haley have a good time. Jamie?"

"Sure. I'll run home to shower and change, then I'll walk back over."

"Oh Jamie that's too far. Let me drive you."

Jamie laughed and shook her head. "It's fine. I'm enjoying being able to exercise like this again. I worked hard to get my body like this and I don't want to lose it."

Nathan knelt down to retie his shoelace. "I'll drive you back over. I have to go to your apartment to get my car anyway."

"I don't want to make you late for your plans with Haley. Don't worry about it."

Karen laughed and shook her head. "You aren't walking back over here. It'll be dark and it's too far. Take my car."

Jamie protested but eventually gave in. As she drove to her apartment she told Nathan about what had happened at the café earlier. Nathan laughed when she got to the part about threatening the guys with the police.

"They're all idiots. I can't believe they thought you would call me and Lucas to kick them out."

They continued to joke about it until they got to her apartment. As Nathan opened the door to his car he looked at his half-sister. "Are you doing okay? I mean with…"

"Don't. I've had a relatively good day and I don't want think about it."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

Jamie went inside to shower and change, then drove back to her mother's house. When she walked through the door she was immediately hit with an enticing aroma. Walking into the living room, she picked up her baby sister and smiled. "Hey you. Where's mommy at huh? Is she in the kitchen? Let's go find out."

April let out a happy squeal and Jamie carried her into the kitchen. "Hey Mom I'm back."

Both women froze. Karen looked at Jamie in surprise. "You called me Mom."

"Wow. I guess I did. Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay. I just wasn't expecting it. I'm so happy to have you call me that. I have to admit I never thought you would really think of me as your mother."

"Are you kidding me? You've been more of a mother to me in the short time I've been here than my adopted mother ever was."

They sat down and ate the chicken fettuccini alfredo Karen had prepared. Afterward, while Karen was putting April to sleep, Jamie washed the dishes. Once finished, she saw a stack of suggestion cards from the café. She dried her hands off and began flipping through them. She was shocked to see that they were all complaints about her.

Karen walked back into the room. Jamie turned and looked at her with pain in her eyes. "How long have you been getting complaints about me?"

Karen sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Since you were arrested. All of that stuff about your past went public and…"

"And your customers don't want a psychotic, ex-con serving them food. I suppose you've already heard about me throwing those guys out today."

"Jamie you are not psychotic. I've been ignoring the suggestion cards and the phone calls. I don't care if…"

"Phone calls?" Jamie asked in an exasperated whisper, not wanting to wake up her sister. "People have been calling about me? They don't want me working there do they?"

Karen grabbed her daughter's shoulders. "Jamie listen to me. I don't care what these people think. If I have to lose a few customers, it's a fair exchange to have my daughter here, helping me out."

Jamie shook her head and pulled away. "No. I'm sorry but I can't. Listening to the people talk about me was one thing, but I just can't do it anymore. I'll look for another job."

"Jamie, no. I don't want you to quit. I've never had better business."

"Don't lie to me. I'm not stupid. I know that business has been dropping over the past couple of weeks. Me working there is hurting business and you can't afford that. You have a new baby to worry about."

Karen sighed and sat down. "I need you to work there. I don't have time to hire someone else."

"You won't have to. Lucas wants to work there after school. If you switch someone to mornings you won't have any problems."

"Is there anything I can say to change your mind?"

Shaking her head, Jamie stood up. "I'm sorry. I just can't work there knowing that everyone wants me gone. I'll talk to you later." Without waiting for Karen to respond she left.

By the time she got to the rivercourt her tears had dried up. She was glad to see Skills there playing alone. When he saw her approaching he stopped playing and walked over to her.

"Sup girl?"

"Hey Skills. Does your offer to talk still stand?"

Skills dribbled the ball as they walked over to the bleachers. "Yea. What's goin on?"

"I'm just so tired of dealing with all of this shit. I found out today that lots of people have been complaining about me at the café and my mother kept it from me."

"Dawg, you jus called her yo mom. Where's that comin from.?"

"I don't know. Earlier I just called her mom without realizing it."

"That's cool."

"Nice try at changing the subject."

Skills laughed. "Sorry. I jus don't know what to say. That's some pretty harsh shit."

"It's not just that. It's everything that's happened lately. Peyton's supposed to go home tomorrow and she still won't see me. I wanted to help set the house up but Mr. Sawyer said to just stay away. On top of that I can't get a loan to get a new car and I can't afford a new one. Now I'm jobless and I just don't know what I'm going to do. I've still got five thousand left from my dad but that won't last forever. I've paid off all of my hospital bills but I still have to pay for my medication and for the apartment. I won't be able to make it working at minimum wage jobs for the rest of my life."

"What about your music?" Skills asked, leaning back and spinning his basketball on one finger.

Jamie sighed and wiped away a few tears. "I submitted a recording of some stuff to a record company but I haven't heard back from them."

"Hey I'm sure everything will work out. And you can bet yo mom will help you out."

Jamie smiled and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you for listening to me. You're a good friend."

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Brooke and Lucas walked hand in hand along the beach.

"So Lucas do want to come with me to bring Peyton home?"

Lucas sighed. "I don't know. Maybe."

Brooke stopped walking and stared at him. She had clearly expected him to say yes. "What do you mean maybe? Peyton is your friend, and my best friend. How can even think about not being there for her?"

"Brooke, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Of course I want to be there for her. I just meant… never mind. I don't want to start a fight."

Walking forward, Brooke touched his arm lightly and softened her tone. "What is it? Hey, I promise I won't get mad."

"I was thinking about spending the day with Jamie. Peyton hasn't said two words to her since the accident. I just don't understand how she can do that. Jamie saved her life and this is how she repays her?"

"Lucas it's a little more complicated than that."

"No it's not Brooke. Peyton is… she's…. what she's doing isn't right. Jamie at least deserves the chance to talk to her."

"Okay. Let's not fight about this. It isn't going to do any good."

Lucas kissed Brooke and apologized. "I'm sorry. I guess I feel a little guilty for being so happy when so many people around me are in pain."

Intertwining her fingers with Lucas', Brooke started walking along side him again. "You really are an amazing person Lucas Scott."

Meanwhile, Nathan and Haley were pulling up to their apartment. As they were walking up the steps, Nathan felt his wife grab his arm. Looking up, he realized that the door to their home was open.

"Haley wait by the car."

"I'm calling the police."

"No. Let me check it out first."

Nathan walked slowly into the apartment, grabbing a baseball bat from the stand next to the front door. He heard a rustling sound coming from the bathroom. He leaned against the wall, listening for a moment, then he quickly stepped in, bat raised.

"Mom? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Goddamn it Nathan, where are my pills? I need them."

Nathan furiously threw the bat on the ground and yelled, "Get out! How dare you break into my apartment to look for your stupid pain pills. Get out and don't come back unless you're sober."

Deb choked back tears as she marched out of the apartment with the small amount of dignity she still had. She climbed into her car and sped off.

As she drove toward her home, Deb swallowed the last of her pain medication. She cursed angrily when it barely affected her. She continued her muttering until she looked up and saw the red light. She slammed on her brakes but not in time to stop from hitting the blond girl in the crosswalk.

The girl hit the windshield and flipped over the car. Deb screeched to a halt and jumped out. "Oh god. What have I done?" She quickly realized who it was that she hit. Panicking, she ran back to her car and sped off.

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Let me know what you think.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Sorry if it seems like I'm a little mean to the characters. This is an angsty fic after all.

Disclaimer: I don't own it. I'm just using it. I do own my original stuff though.

**Chapter 22**

Jamie slowly opened her eyes. She took in the night sky and let her eyes shut again. _Wait. Why am I outside?_ Then the pain hit her. She cried out as wave after wave of pain swept over her. She struggled to stay conscious.

_Fuck! What the hell? Did I do something really horrible in a past life? I can't believe this. Who the fuck hit me and took off? The asshole could have at least called 911 for me. I really need to get out of the middle of the road before another car comes along and turns me into roadkill._

Jamie slowly tried moving but the pain was too intense. _This is so unfair. They couldn't have just killed me. No, I have suffer some more._

Suddenly she heard the all too familiar wail of sirens. She opened her eyes and was surprised to see a middle-aged man kneeling over her. Her hearing returned and she heard him say, "Miss, can you hear me? Oh thank god, the ambulance is here. The man was quickly replaced by two paramedics who began looking over her injuries. The older one began asking her questions and shining a light in her eyes. She blinked slightly turned her head.

"She's barely responsive. She may have a concussion. Miss, can you tell me your name?"

Jamie moaned and her eyes fluttered open and shut. "Mmmm. Jamie."

"Okay Jamie. We're going to lift you onto a stretcher now okay? Try to stay with us. You have a concussion and you need to stay awake."

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At the hospital, Jamie was able to think a little more clearly. _I swear if I have to stay in this hospital one more time… I wish the doctor would hurry up. It feels like hours since they brought me here from the ER. I still can't believe I was involved in a hit and run. If it wasn't for that man… Damn I didn't even get his name. I'll have to find him and thank him. _

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by a doctor entering the room. "Well, Miss Bradshaw how are you feeling?"

_Is that supposed to be funny?_ "I feel like I got hit by a car."

"Well it's good to see your sense of humor is still intact."

Jamie almost rolled her eyes. "So what's the prognosis? Am I going to die?"

"Of course."

Jamie stared at the doctor, looking for any trace of sarcasm or humor. "You do know I have a heart condition right?"

"Sorry. You are going to do die, but not today. I have good news and bad news."

"Good new first." Jamie said firmly.

"Well the good news is that you're still alive."

_Oooh, if I could only get out of this bed I would…"_

"You're lucky that you aren't dead. The bad news is that your left leg is broken, you had some internal bleeding and a concussion, as well as three broken ribs. You also have several cuts and a lot of bruising.

Jamie looked down at the cast covering her left leg and said sarcastically, "If this is all that's wrong, why did it hurt so much?"

The doctor however, didn't seem to notice the sarcasm "You hit your head pretty hard. You had a concussion and your whole body is going to be sore for a while."

"So can I go home?"

"Well the police want to take a statement and then you'll need to call someone to come get you."

Jamie told the police what happened. Then, as she was trying to decide who to call, a thought occurred to her. She was in the hospital and Peyton was on the floor below her. She knew it was too late to visit her but at the very least she might be able to see her.

As she walked stood at the checkout desk she dialed Nathan's number.

"Hello?"

"Nathan, it's Jamie."

"Hey what's going on?"

"I need a favor."

"Now? It's like 9:00."

"I need a ride home from the hospital."

"What? Did Peyton finally talk to you?"

"No. I got hit by a car."

"You were hit by a car? Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine but I need someone to take me home and I don't want to worry Karen right now."

"Okay I'll meet you at your room."

"Actually, meet me at Peyton's room. I'm going to go down there now. I thought maybe I could play the pity card with Mr. Sawyer and get to see her."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Jamie sighed. "Of course I'm not sure. I'll see you in a little while. Thanks."

"No problem."

Jamie took the elevator down and walked to the hallway with Peyton's room. As she got closer she saw Peyton's father talking with a doctor. The doctor walked away and Larry turned to face Jamie.

"What are you doing here?"

Jamie stopped and held up one of her crutches. _Does he not notice the crutches and bandages?_ "I got hit by a car."

Larry's eyes widened. "Are you okay?"

Rolling her eyes, Jamie hobbled over to a chair and sat down. "Yeah I'm great. I just love flipping over cars and breaking bones. I was kind of hoping to see Peyton."

Larry sat down next to her and sighed. "I'm sorry. Peyton said she doesn't want to see you and I'm going to respect my daughter's wishes. And even if she did want to see you, she's asleep and I wouldn't want you waking her up."

Jamie held back tears. "I understand. I don't know why I even bothered coming down here. Must be the head injury."

"Jamie I'm sorry. Peyton is my daughter and I have to make sure she's okay. If that means keeping you away from her…. I'm sorry you two didn't work out."

Jamie nodded and looked away. "You don't have to sit here. You can go home. I won't try to get in to see Peyton. I just told my brother to pick me up here."

Larry seemed hesitant. "Jamie it isn't that I don't trust you. It's just that…"

"You don't trust me. Whatever. I'll go wait for Nathan at the entrance."

She then hobbled away as quickly as she could.

When Nathan walked into the hospital he saw his sister already waiting for him. "Holy crap. You look like hell. Did you walk all the way down here?"

Jamie laughed and let him support her. "More like hopped. I hate using crutches."

They drove to Karen's house despite Jamie's protests. "You aren't supposed to be alone and the rest of us have to go to school."

Karen freaked out when she saw the cast and the bandages on her head. She immediately demanded to know who hit her but Jamie said she didn't see who it was and she was knocked unconscious when the car hit her.

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Lucas raised his hand and knocked on Peyton's door. Larry opened it and smiled. "Lucas. Good to see you. Peyton's up in her room." Lucas shook his hand and headed upstairs.

Peyton smiled when Lucas appeared at her doorway. "Hey. I was wondering when you'd show up."

"How you feeling?"

"A little better."

Lucas sat down on the bed next to her. "Peyton I need to talk to you about Jamie."

Peyton looked away from him. "Lucas please don't."

"Please just listen to me."

She didn't answer but nodded for him to continue.

"She got hit by a car last night."

"What?" Peyton asked. "Is she okay?"

Lucas nodded. "She's got a couple broken bones but she'll be alright."

"I can't believe this."

"She'd really like to see you."

"Lucas…"

"I'm sorry," he said, standing up. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just… can I ask you something?"

Peyton nodded.

Lucas pulled a key out of his pocket. "Is this yours?"

Biting her lip, Peyton closed her eyes and nodded. "Luke I know what you're thinking."

Sitting back down, Lucas covered her hand with his. "You found out she was leaving and you went out driving too fast didn't you?"

"Lucas please… I know what I did was stupid. I almost hit you and Jamie."

"Peyton she doesn't care about that. She just wants to see you."

Peyton nodded. "I want to see her too. I just don't want to have to talk about her leaving."

Standing up again, Lucas set the key down on Peyton's dresser. "Then don't. She doesn't have to know that you went to her apartment that day."

"Okay. Will you bring her over here so I can apologize?"

"Of course."

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Jamie tried to steady her breathing as she slowly walked up the stairs. Lucas had offered to help her but she had refused. She got to the top and knocked lightly. Brooke grinned like a kid on Christmas morning and ran over to her. She grabbed one of Jamie's crutches and slung on of her arms over her shoulder. Jamie rolled her eyes and Brooke helped her around the bed and all but pushed her onto it. As an afterthought, Brooke grabbed a pillow and put it under Jamie's foot.

Giggling excitedly she clapped her hands and hurried out of the room. Jamie finally gathered up the courage to look at Peyton. The looked into each other's eyes for a moment then burst out laughing.

"Brooke is… well she's Brooke," Peyton said, the laughter dieing away quickly. "I missed you."

Jamie sucked in a deep breath. "I missed you too. And I'm sorry that I almost left."

"I'm sorry I pushed you away. I love you so much. I was just scared."

As a response, Jamie slipped her right hand underneath Peyton's and intertwined their fingers. "It's okay. I'm not mad. I understand. I just want another chance. I want us to have another chance."

Peyton smiled and nodded. "So you got hit by a car huh?"

Jamie laughed. "Yeah. It kind of ruined my plan to get you back."

"Your plan?"

"Yeah. I was going to wait on you hand and foot. Now that would be a little hard."

They both laughed again. Jamie slowly leaned closer. When Peyton didn't turn away she pressed their lips together in a soft kiss.

Peyton brought her free hand up to touch Jamie's face. "Thank you for saving me. My dad said that if it wasn't for you I would have died."

"If it hadn't been for me you wouldn't have needed saving."

Biting her lip, Peyton gripped Jamie's hand tighter. "Jamie… I… I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you didn't leave. And I don't blame you for what happened. No matter what was going on, I shouldn't have been driving so recklessly. I'm just thankful that I didn't hurt anyone."

Jamie slowly rolled onto her side. The broken ribs were on the left side but it still hurt when she moved too quickly. "You know what really sucks? Both of our cars are totaled."

Peyton laughed. "You know I think this is a sign."

"That our cars got totaled?"

"No. That we're both injured like this. If you hadn't gotten hit, we wouldn't be laying here together like this."

Jamie laughed and gently caressed Peyton's face. "So you think fate brought us back together? Huh. I can go with that."

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Lucas pulled Brooke into a passionate kiss as they walked into his bedroom. "Brooke, my mom is out there."

Brooke grinned as she pulled his shirt off. "Well if you'd rather go to Rachel's…"

He sat down on the bed and pulled his fiancée onto his lap and kissed her again. "No thanks. I like it right here with you."

Brooke pushed him onto his back and started to unbutton her shirt. Suddenly they heard a knock on the door and Karen's voice.

"Lucas are you home?"

"Just a second Mom."

Brooke buttoned up her shirt and Lucas tugged his back on. Lucas jumped up and opened the door. "What's up Mom?"

Karen smirked. "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." Brooke's cheeks turned dark red.

"Ms. Roe, we weren't…"

"It's okay Brooke. I just wanted to make sure Lucas is going to pick up his sister later."

Lucas glared at his mother's retreating back. He knew that she had done that on purpose. He had already said he would bring Jamie back home.

"Don't worry about it Lucas. It's probably best that we didn't do it while your mom was in the other room. Just imagine if she had come in ten minutes later."

Brooke regretted saying this however, for the image of what she had said ran through both of their minds.

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Deb hung up the phone and sighed with relief. She had just talked to Karen and learned that Jamie was going to be okay. _Oh thank god she's okay. I can't believe I just left her there like that. What am I going to do if she knows that it was me. How can I even think that? I almost killed her. _

Walking into her bathroom, she dug through the medicine cabinet looking for pain medication. She found a bottle of pills and popped the top off. She turned on the faucet and quickly swallowed three pills.

Meanwhile, Jamie was slowly and quietly walking down the stairs at Peyton's house. She found Larry and Derek talking in the kitchen. Derek looked up when she walked into the room.

"What happened to you?"

Jamie sat down in a chair and set her crutches on the floor. "A car hit me."

Derek shook his head. "The craziness never ends here."

"I guess it's kind of ironic. Just a few hours before I got hit I said something about how nice it was to be able to go running with Nathan."

They all laughed. Larry went to get more coffee and Derek turned to Jamie.

"Well I was going to ask you to help get Tric set up for this weekend since I'm leaving on Monday, but it looks like you're out of commission."

Jamie shook her head. "I'm not out of commission. I just can't do a lot of walking. And I can't lift or carry stuff. But, I can… I could… I have a key to get in. Will that help?"

Derek laughed and nodded. "It's okay. I actually thought of something we could do to sing happy birthday."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Well since we'll be at Tric, which has a stage and soundsytem…"

Jamie smiled. "You want us to all go up on stage and sing?"

"I was thinking that each person could do their own version of the song."

Jamie could already see it happening in her mind. "That's a great idea. Peyton would love that."

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Sorry it's so short. I'm unsure about something and I want to know what you think. Should Jamie eventually remember who hit her?


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: I am incredibly sorry this took so long. I had the whole chapter written then I saw the latest episode and decided to rewrite it so I could add in what happened. I know that I shouldn't be doing this but I had writers block and felt like my fic wasn't going anywhere. What I'm going to do is kind of a cheap technique but I hope that it will make my story better in the end and allow me to keep it going longer.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. I do own my characters and my story so no stealing.

A/N 2: Just a reminder that italics are thoughts b/c there will be a lot of thinking going on this chapter.

**Chapter 23**

Jamie opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. _Where am I? Am I in the hospital? That's impossible. I remember going to sleep in my bed. I mean, my ribs hurt but…_

Shifting a little, she realized that she felt no pain at all in her side. Looking down at her body she saw no cast on her leg. _Where did my cast go? What the hell is going on? My ribs don't hurt, my leg doesn't appear to be broken, and I don't know how I got into the hospital._

After a while a doctor came in. "Miss Bradshaw, you're finally awake."

"Finally?" Jamie asked groggily. "How long was I out?"

"Six days."

"Six days? Holy cow. So am I gonna be okay?"

"Looks like you'll be fine. You'll just need to take it easy for a week or two, and try not to do anything too strenuous for another week after that."

The doctor left and Jamie tried to sort out what had happened. Before long the door opened and Peyton walked in.

"Hey. How you feeling?"

"Peyton? Where are your crutches? You're not supposed to be walking."

Peyton looked at Jamie with concern. "Jamie… what are you talking about?"

"Your accident. You went off the bridge."

Shaking her head, Peyton sat down in the chair next to the bed. "Sweetie, I was never in an accident."

Jamie sighed heavily. "I'm going crazy. You're up and walking around. My leg isn't broken…"

"Jamie do you know why you're in the hospital?"

"I… no."

"You had another heart attack after I broke up with you."

Jamie was stunned. "But… No. I went home and packed my stuff. I met Luke at that bridge and you came driving along. You went into the river and I jumped in to save you." She looked up at Peyton as if she were hoping for confirmation.

Peyton reached out and grabbed her hand. "You must have been in some kind of dream or something. After I told you I wanted to break up, you collapsed. You've been unconscious for almost a week."

Shaking her head, Jamie put her hands over her face. "I really am crazy. If what you said is true… You have no idea how real it all seemed. Everything was so real. Even the pain of getting hit by a car."

Peyton's eyes widened. "What?"

"After your accident I got hit by a car. Then we were both in your bed, practically crippled, and we made up."

Despite Jamie's confusion, Peyton knew there was a question in her last statement. "Jamie I don't know. I'm afraid of hurting you like that again. You had a heart attack because I broke up with you."

Jamie thought back to the day that Peyton had broken up with her. "Oh my god. No, it wasn't your fault. I'm not certain but I think I forgot to take my pill that day. It wasn't your fault, it was mine."

"But…"

"Please Peyton? Give me another chance. If us separating made me have a heart attack then maybe it's a sign that we're meant to be together. I love you and that will never change. I know a lot has happened, and I've apparently been stuck in some kind of dream world, but we can make it work."

Peyton wiped away the tears that were falling down her face and smiled. "Okay. We'll give it another chance. But you have to find a new way to fight for me."

Jamie grabbed the sides of Peyton's face and pulled her into a gentle kiss. "I love you. Now and forever. And I don't care how cheesy that sounds."

"I love you too. Now I better go get your mother. It took a lot for her to keep from running in here."

Peyton kissed her girlfriend again and went to get Karen.

When her mother walked into the room, Jamie smiled. "Hey Mom."

Karen seemed surprised. "You called me mom."

Jamie shook her head. "That's right. I never **actually** called you that. It was part of the dream world I've been living the past six days."

"Dream world?"

"Yeah. It's so weird. I don't remember having the heart attack. I just remember going home and then a bunch of other stuff happened. I'm still getting used to all of that stuff **not** happening. Anyway, while I was unconscious I started calling you Mom and… you weren't mad at me anymore."

Karen sat down and started crying. "I'm so sorry."

Jamie patted her mother's hand. "It's okay. As far as I'm concerned, we've already worked this out."

Karen laughed and wiped away her tears. "Okay. I'm just so glad that you're awake."

"So what's been happening the last six days?"

The two of them talked for a while then Karen left, after firmly telling Jamie that she would be moving back into the house with her and Lucas.

Lucas was the next to come in and see her. "You know, I think we redefined the term, identical twins."

Jamie gave him a quizzical look.

"Mom didn't tell you? The night you had your heart attack, I went over to Peyton's to find you. When I got there you were lying on the floor and Peyton was sobbing over you and I…"

"No. You didn't!"

"I did. I'm sure that made Peyton freak out even more."

Jamie rested her head against her pillow. "Did you forget to take your medication too?"

Lucas let out a laugh. "I guess we really are identical twins. But we probably shouldn't tell Mom about the pill thing. She might kill us."

Soon they were both laughing. Jamie explained the dream world thing. Lucas got a serious expression. "What is it?" Jamie asked when she noticed the change.

"When I was unconscious, I saw Keith. I know it was probably just a dream but…"

"Maybe it wasn't. When I had my first heart attack, I saw my dad. It seemed so real. I don't think it's too inconceivable that Keith would come to you."

"Man we are so weird." Lucas blurted out, his mood changing back to happy.

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Jamie was released the next day. It took her a while to get a firmer grip on reality. She learned that Derek had been redeployed and was gone, there wasn't going to be a birthday party that weekend, and Peyton's father hadn't come back to Tree Hill.

Lucas walked into her bedroom carrying a tray of food.

"Luke… You don't have to do that. I don't need to be waited on. Especially considering that you had a heart attack too."

"Yeah but you've had two, and you were out for like a week."

"Whatever."

"So do you think you'll be up to taking Peyton to prom?"

Jamie sighed and shrugged. "If she wants to. I'm not looking forward to wearing a dress and heels though."

"So how are you doing with the whole being crazy for a week thing?"

"Hey! I'm not crazy. I'm just weird. It's kind of hard because everything seemed so real. I guess it makes sense though. I mean, Peyton driving into the same river that the limo did, me getting hit by a car a couple days later. It all seems a little impossible."

Lucas shifted himself so he was laying next to her. "That would be awfully coincidental."

"Yeah. Plus it's nice to know I still have my car."

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Peyton walked through the halls of Tree Hill High, ignoring the stares and whispers. That is, until a girl she didn't recognize got in her face.

"What's up dyke? How's your girlfriend?"

"Hey, bitch." Brooke said, causing the girl to turn around. Peyton gaped in shock as Brooke punched the girl in the face. "And that goes for everyone. Mess with Peyton and you mess with me." She then looped her arm through Peyton's and pulled her toward their English class.

The rest of the day everyone seemed to leave Peyton alone. As she got in her car Haley appeared and asked jokingly, "So can I talk to you or will your bodyguard knock me out?"

Peyton laughed. "I think she's a little distracted by your brother-in-law."

"You want to give a ride home?"

"Sure, but where's Nathan?"

"He is already at home. His mom is coming home tomorrow and the house has to be pill and alcohol free."

Peyton nodded. "How's she doing?"

"She's okay I guess."

Once they had pulled out of the school parking lot, Haley laughed. Peyton sent her a questioning look. "Sorry. I just had the thought that you, me, and Brooke are like sisters now. We're each with one of the Scott siblings."

Peyton laughed and turned on the radio. "I guess that's true. So prom's tomorrow. This week has flown by. I've been so caught up in spending time with Jamie that I haven't though much about it."

"So you're definitely taking Jamie?"

"Why not? If anyone says anything I'll just sick Brooke on them."

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Peyton laced her fingers with Jamie's as they walked into the party. Brooke waved to them happily and motioned for them to come over.

"Now we can get this party started."

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Brooke you do know we're not drinking right?"

"What? Why?"

"Well first off, your fiancée recently kicked his drinking problem. I don't think you drinking around him is a good idea. Not to mention my girlfriend here just had a heart attack and she's not allowed to drink."

Jamie smiled. "Come on Brooke. We can all have fun without alcohol."

A couple hours later Jamie found herself watching Peyton talk with Brooke and Haley. When Nathan sat down next to her she accepted the cup he offered her. "Here you go. Rum and coke, without the rum."

"Thanks," she replied, taking a sip. "So are you excited about prom?"

"Yeah. I guess it's probably not so big for you huh?"

Jamie shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't get to go to my senior prom."

"You didn't go to prom?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Well… It was right after my dad died."

Nathan's expression softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"No it's okay. I've been trying not to think about it."

They were interrupted by Peyton walking over and grabbing Jamie's hand. "Come with me." Peyton led her upstairs to an empty bedroom.

Inside she closed the door and kissed Jamie passionately. They fell onto the bed and Peyton started kissing her neck. The continued for a while until they heard a shout from downstairs.

Jamie sat up a little. "What was that?"

"Who cares?" Peyton said, taking off her shirt. She started kissing Jamie again but stopped when they heard another person yelling.

"Oh my god! Is that a tape of Nathan doing it with Peyton?"

Peyton jumped up and pulled her shirt back on. Running downstairs she shouted, "Turn it off! Turn it off!"

Jamie appeared at her side a moment later. Ignoring the whispers and laughs as people realized what her and Peyton had been doing, she focused on the television. Nathan was laying on top someone. Just as he pulled back, Nathan and Brooke walked into the room and pushed through the crowd. Everyone gasped in shock as they realized that it was Brooke and not Peyton on the tv.

Haley gave Nathan a look that showed how hurt she was. Peyton however, marched forward and punched Brooke. Jamie grabbed her and pulled her outside.

"Peyton let's just get out of here."

"I'm going home. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Jamie watched Peyton get into her car and drive off. "Great."

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The next morning Jamie walked into Peyton's bedroom. "Hey."

"Hey. I'm sorry I snapped at you last night."

"Forget about it," she replied, massaging Peyton's shoulders. "If it's any consolation I saw Brooke this morning and she feels really horrible."

Peyton pulled away turned to look at Jamie. "The first thing you did today was go see Brooke?"

"Peyton it was on the way."

"You know what else is on the way? My front door. Shut it when you leave."

Jamie sighed in frustration and left. She went back home and flopped down on the couch. She thought back to her conversation with Brooke.

Flashback

Brooke stepped onto the porch. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Have you talked to Lucas?"

Jamie nodded. "He said he's gonna shower then come over here. I was just on my way to see Peyton and I wanted to see if you had talked to her yet."

Brooke shook her head and leaned against the railing. "It was such a stupid mistake. Peyton and Nathan were broken up and I was really, really drunk."

Jamie held her hands up. "Hey I'm not the one you have to explain it to."

End Flashback

_Why did I stop and see Brooke? I should have known that would only make Peyton angrier. _

Going upstairs she got out her acoustic guitar and started playing.

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Brooke hugged Lucas when she opened the door. "Lucas I'm so sorry."

"Hey. It's okay," he said, holding his fiancée. "I'm not mad. It was a long time ago. Before I even knew you."

"Come on in. Rachel isn't here."

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Later that day Jamie walked into Peyton's room. Peyton way laying on her bed. Jamie could tell she had been crying.

"I'm sorry. I should have come straight over here this morning."

"I don't care about that. I'm done with Brooke. Our friendship is over."

Jamie walked closer and tucked her hands in her pockets. "Come on. Don't let Brooke ruin prom for you."

"I'm not going."

"What? But…"

"I don't want to. Now please just go." Peyton said, rolling over to face the opposite direction.

Jamie sighed. "Peyton, talk to me. Did something happen between you and Brooke?"

"Why won't you just leave?"

"Because I love you too much. I can see that you're in pain and I want to make you feel better."

"I don't feel like talking."

Jamie turned and walked to the door. "Fine. I'll go. Call me when you do feel like talking."

Once she was gone Peyton stood up and pulled out her punching dummy. She spent an hour hitting it before Nathan showed up to apologize.

"Great. You're just the person I wanted to see."

"I'm sorry. I know what I did was horrible."

"Horrible? You slept with Brooke while we were together."

"Look I know that I can't ask you to forgive me. I just wanted to talk you into going to prom. I ran into Jamie and she looked pretty upset."

"That's none of your business."

Nathan nodded. "I know that but… I'm the one who screwed up. Don't take it out on her. She was really looking forward to going to prom with you."

Peyton punched the dummy a few more times. "What if I don't care?"

"But you do care. You always care."

Nathan left and Peyton thought about what he said. She quickly showered and got her dress on. She walked down the stairs and looked in the mirror. Suddenly the doorbell rang. She opened it and gasped in shock.

"Hi Peyton."

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Please review. I really want to know what you think, even if you hate it.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: I just want to say thank you to onetreefan and Haleybub for reviewing.

Disclaimer: With the amount of disclaimers written every day, wouldn't be easier to just put something if you **do** own something? lawyer shakes his head Okay fine, I don't own One Tree Hill.

**Chapter 24**

Peyton stared at the person standing on her porch. "Jake? What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry to show up without calling. I wanted to see you."

"Come in. Where's Jenny?"

Jake smiled as he stepped into the house. "She's with my parents."

Peyton led Jake into the living room and sat down. "It's nice to see you again."

"I'm sorry I haven't called. But, you look like you were getting ready to go somewhere. Oh, isn't prom tonight?"

"Yeah, but it's no big deal. I'd rather stay here and catch up with you."

They talked for a while and eventually got around to the subject of Lucas.

"So I heard that Lucas and Brooke got engaged."

Peyton nodded. "But I'm over Lucas."

"I'm glad to hear that, because I… I was hoping that maybe we could give it another shot. I miss you so much Peyton."

Peyton sighed. "Jake… I love you but…"

"There's nothing stopping us now."

"I'm sorry. I can't."

Jake nodded and stood up. He walked to the door and opened it. Peyton followed him onto the porch.

Just as she was about to say something Jake leaned down and kissed her. Peyton started to pull away but quickly fell into his embrace and kissed him back.

When they parted she shook her head and pulled away. "Jake… I… I need some time to think." Jake nodded and went to his car. As she watched him drive away she noticed someone across the street. Jamie was leaning against her car with her arms crossed. She pushed off of the car and slowly walked up to the porch. Peyton saw that the look on her face was not so much angry as it was hurt and defeated.

"I guess it all makes sense now."

"Jamie I didn't…"

"No I know that he just showed up. That's not what I mean. Ever since I got out of the hospital you've seemed distant."

Peyton shook her head. "Jamie I'm sorry I kissed him."

"But you did. I know that was Jake. I recognized him from the pictures you showed me. I know you still love him."

"But I love you too."

Jamie nodded. "I know you do. I also know that you've been having doubts."

Peyton shook her head again. "No."

"Don't lie to me Peyton. You're wearing your prom dress, which means you must have changed your mind about going, but you chose to stay here with Jake. And earlier you pushed me away, and I know it didn't have anything to do with Brooke."

Peyton walked over and sat down on the bench. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Yeah well you did. It hurts like hell knowing I don't make you happy."

"Jamie it's not that I don't love you."

Jamie looked into Peyton's eyes. "Peyton I love you, so much, and I want you to be happy. It kills me to let you go but I can see that it's what you need."

Peyton stood up and hugged Jamie tightly. "Are we still going to be friends?"

"I don't know. Not right now. It's going to take time to get over you. But someday maybe."

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Karen set the baby carrier down and took April out. After she placed the infant in the crib she walked back into the hall and went to look for her other daughter. Upon entering her room upstairs she saw Jamie lying on the bed, curled into a ball and sobbing.

"Jamie? What's wrong?"

Jamie sat up and wiped her eyes. "Please, I just want to be alone."

"What happened?"

"Peyton and I are finished. It's over."

Karen sat down on the bed and tried to comfort her daughter. "I'm sure you two can work things out."

Jamie sobbed into her shoulder. "N-no we w-won't. It's r-r-really over."

Later that night Lucas walked into his room and tossed his jacket onto his bed. He looked at his watch, which read 1:30. Turning around he saw his fiancée pull up to the house in her silver VW bug. Once she came in and shut the door they went into the kitchen to get drinks.

They were surprised to find Jamie sitting at the table sipping a mug of tea.

"Jamie, what are you doing up?" Lucas asked, noticing how upset his sister looked.

Jamie gave her brother a sad smile. "I couldn't sleep. I don't want to bother you two. I'll see you in the morning." She stood up and started to walk to the stairs but was stopped by Brooke.

"Are you okay?"

Blinking back tears, Jamie nodded. "I'm fine. I don't want to ruin your night. You guys go back to whatever you were doing."

Setting her tea down she grabbed her jacket and walked out the back door. Brooke turned to Lucas. "What do you think happened? Do you think it was something with Peyton?"

"I don't know." He stared to kiss her again but she pulled away.

"Lucas we can't leave her out there. She seems… heartbroken."

"You're right."

"Let me go talk to her."

Brooke walked out and sat down next to Jamie. "So do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

Jamie looked surprised. "Brooke you don't have to do this. I didn't mean to ruin your night with Lucas."

Brooke shrugged. "I'm gonna spend the rest of my life with him. One night won't matter."

"It's Peyton." Jamie said suddenly. "We broke up."

"What happened?"

"I was worried that she wasn't happy. Then my fears were confirmed when I saw her kissing Jake."

"What?" Brooke asked in surprise. "She kissed Jake? When did he get back?"

"Tonight I guess. I was sitting outside her house in my car debating whether or not I should go in when he pulled up. She let him in and a couple hours later he came out and she kissed him."

"I can't believe she cheated on you."

"She didn't. Not really. She just wasn't happy. I guess I can't give her everything she wants."

"So she broke up with you?"

"I guess it was kind of a mutual thing."

"I'm sorry." Brooke said, putting a comforting arm around Jamie's shoulder. She pulled away when Jamie tensed up.

"Sorry. Old habit."

"It's okay."

"I just don't understand why I couldn't be enough for her." Jamie said, letting tears fall.

Brooke shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks for talking with me. I'll be okay. Go back inside to fiancée."

Standing up, Brooke offered Jamie a hand. "You can't just sit out here all night."

Jamie let Brooke help her up and shook her head. "I can't sleep. I think I'll go for a drive."

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Two hours later Jamie found herself sitting at a bar nursing a bottle of beer. The bartender had looked as though he thought her id was fake but didn't question her about it.

"Hey," a voice called from behind her. Jamie clenched her fist. A brunette woman who was about two inches shorter than her and looked like she was about 21 was standing there glaring at her.

"I told you to leave me alone."

"Yeah well I have a problem with you."

Jamie stood up and stared the girl down. "Look, I told you that I have no idea what you're talking about. I didn't screw your brother and steal his money. Now get your stupid drunk ass out of my face."

The girl was only angered by Jamie's response. "You stupid bitch!" she yelled, then shoved Jamie.

Something inside of the tall blond snapped. She punched the girl in the face, knocking her down. Climbing on top of her she began repeatedly punching her in the face. She was pulled off by another girl, obviously the brunette's friend who, in turn, started punching Jamie. After about four blows Jamie managed to block the girls fist and get in a punch of her own.

The second girl was pulled away by the bartender and Jamie was pulled up by a strong pair of arms. The bartender looked up at the guy and yelled, "Get her out of here before I call the cops."

Jamie struggled against the stranger as he pulled her out of the bar. "Stop fighting me! Do you want to go to jail?" Finally coming to her senses Jamie stopped struggling.

"Okay, okay. I'm cool." The guy let her go and turned her around.

"Are you okay?"

Jamie nodded in response. "Thanks for getting me out of there."

"No problem. I'm Chris Keller."

Jamie offered her hand to shake but realized it had blood on it. She had no idea if it was hers or the girl she had been hitting. "Jamie Bradshaw."

"So Jamie, where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"Prison."

Chris looked at her with a smile. "No, really." Jamie shrugged. "Damn. So how about I get you home? Neither of us should drive but I can call a cab.

"No need. The place I'm going is only about eight blocks. I'll walk. My car's there anyways. I didn't want to give myself the opportunity to drive drunk, even though I've only had two beers."

"No way. It's like 3:30 in the morning. I can't let you walk home alone."

Jamie reluctantly nodded. The started walking and Chris chuckled. "So why did that chick push you?"

Laughing at the stupidity of the situation, Jamie shook her head. "I guess she thought I slept with her brother and stole money from him."

"Did you?"

"No! Even if I wasn't a lesbian I wouldn't do something like that."

Jamie thought the announcement of her orientation would scare Chris off but he merely grinned. "All right. A great fighter and you like girls."

They walked in silence before reaching their destination. Chris looked at the building in confusion. "Why are we at Karen's Café. This place is closed."

"My mom owns it and I have a key."

"Your mom… OH! I recognize you now. I saw you on the news."

Jamie nodded. "Yeah and I know who you are too. Haley told me all about you."

"So why are we here?"

"I live with my mom and Lucas and there's no way I'm going home looking like this."

Chris laughed as they went inside. "Oh, you want to wait for the bruises to swell up before she sees them?"

Jamie shook her head, laughing. "Thanks again for pulling me out of there. Considering I'm not of drinking age, I think getting the cops called would have been bad."

"Forget about it."

"So would you like some coffee? I can't cook work shit but coffee I can do."

"Sure."

They sat and waited for the coffee to brew and Jamie held a bag of ice to her face. "God I don't want to go home. I'm starting to wish I hadn't given up the apartment."

"Don't feel bad. I usually stay with my folks when I'm in town. But I was wondering, what were you doing in a bar this late. You throw down pretty well but it's still dangerous."

Jamie sighed. She didn't want to discuss her breakup but she felt that she owed Chris for helping her out. "Well do you remember Peyton Sawyer?"

"Goldilocks? Yeah."

"Well we broke up today. That's why I was drinking."

"You two were together? Damn I got to say, I never thought she'd be one to hook up with girls."

Jamie stood up to pour the coffee. "If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about her."

Chris nodded as she handed him a cup. "Say, didn't you play guitar for Haley on that second cancer benefit album?"

"Yeah."

"You're pretty good. You doing anything with your music?"

Jamie took a sip of her coffee before answering. "I'm in the writing process. I have four songs written and another one almost done."

Chris nodded and pointed at himself. "Maybe I can hook you up with some connections. I can help you record your songs too."

"I don't know. It's not that I don't appreciate it, because I do. I'm just not in a good place, emotionally, right now."

"It's cool. Just give it some thought. I'm here in town for a couple of months so it's no rush."

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Lucas' jaw dropped when his sister stumbled down the stairs. "What the hell happened to you?"

Jamie sat down and rested her forehead on the table. "Bar. Fight."

"What?" the older twin asked, sitting down next to her.

Jamie looked back up at her brother. "I went to a bar and had a couple of beers. Some drunk girl kept bugging me and eventually shoved me. I lost it and started beating the shit out of her. Then her friend hit me a few times and I managed to hit her once before none other than Chris Keller dragged me out of the place."

Lucas absorbed this information and shook his head. "Jamie what the hell were you thinking?"

"Hey don't lecture me! I know what I did was stupid but I've had a really shitty couple of days."

Standing up, Lucas opened the fridge and pulled out a Gatorade. "So drinking not even two weeks after you had a heart attack and getting your ass kicked was a good thing?"

"I didn't get my ass kicked."

"Your face says otherwise."

"Maybe you should look at the two girls I took on." She stopped when she saw the disappointed look on her brother's face. "I'm sorry. I'm not proud of what I did. I don't even know if that one chick was okay. I really whaled on her."

Lucas sat back down. "Do you think she'll press charges if she finds out it was you?"

"No. I'm not worried about that. She was harassing me and she started the fight. I was more concerned with getting busted for underage drinking."

"You know Mom is going to freak out when she sees you right?"

Jamie nodded. "There's no use in trying to hide it. I learned a long time ago to take responsibility for my actions."

"So Chris Keller pulled you out of the bar?"

"Yeah. He grabbed me before I could lay the smackdown on the second girl. I'm glad he did. I was… I was just out of control."

Lucas took a drink of his Gatorade and set it on the table. "He may have helped you out but he's still bad news."

"What do you mean?"

"He's a jerk. He wanted Brooke to have an abortion."

Jamie gave her brother a confused look. "But she did. _Before_ Chris showed up."

"That's not the point."

"Hey, you may not like him but got me out of a bad situation and he walked me to the café and waited while I sobered up to drive home. He even offered to help me with my music."

Lucas got angrier. "Jamie you can't work with him!"

Jamie stood up and glared at her brother. "First off, lose the condescending tone. I'm an adult and who I work on my music with is my business. Secondly, I'm not going to write him off as a asshole when he was nothing but nice to me."

"Did you ever consider that he just wants to get with you?" Lucas yelled back, also standing up. "That's all he ever does."

"Lucas you don't even know him. Haley told me about a completely different side of him. Maybe you should stop being so judgmental. And also did you forget that there's no way in hell I would ever have sex with him, or any other guy for that matter?"

"He doesn't know that!"

"Yes he does. I told him." By this point they were both shouting.

"That doesn't change who he is."

"Maybe I don't fucking care about the stuff he's done in the past. If I tried to hold that stuff against him I'd be one hell of a hypocrite."

"That's different."

"Oh my god Lucas, get off my case about this. I'm sorry you don't like the guy but this is really none of your business."

Lucas pointed his finger at his sister. "Maybe you shouldn't be shutting me out. What happened to all your speeches about letting people help you with your problems?"

"Well last night you didn't seem to give a damn about my problems."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Last night you let me walk out of here at one thirty in the morning. You knew I shouldn't be out there by myself that late but you let me go, just so you could have sex with your girlfriend."

"I'm not gonna put my relationship with Brooke on hold just because you got dumped."

Jamie looked like she wanted to hit Lucas. Instead she reached into her pocket and slammed something down on the table. "Do you really think my relationship with Peyton wasn't serious?"

"What is that?" Lucas asked when she removed her hand to reveal a ring box.

"It's a promise ring. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Peyton. I've never loved anyone like I love her. So how do you think it felt to realize that I couldn't give her everything she wanted?"

Lucas moved to put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Jamie pulled away and shook her head. "Sorry isn't enough. I guess you really are a writer. You really know how to make your words cut deep." Without looking back she walked out the front door. Lucas yelled and hit his Gatorade, spilling the liquid across the table.

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The tall muscled bartender looked up as Jamie walked in. "Hey!"

Jamie held her hands up. "I'm not here to cause trouble."

The bartender nodded and Jamie walked up to the bar. "What do you want? I'm not serving you."

"I know. I wanted to see if that woman was okay."

Shaking his head the man went back to wiping the counter. "You really did a number on her. I'm no doctor but I'd guess that her face is a little fucked up."

Jamie bit her lip and nodded. "Great," she muttered sarcastically.

"You don't have to worry about getting in trouble. I know she was harassing you and she started the fight."

Jamie shook her head. "That doesn't make what I did okay."

"No it doesn't. She was drunk and you weren't. Now get out of here and don't bother coming back. I have a strict policy. You fight in my bar and you're no longer welcome."

Jamie nodded and walked out. Hopping back in her car she drove to Deb's house. When Deb answered the door she gasped at Jamie's appearance.

"Jamie, what happened?"

"It's nothing. Is Nathan here?"

Deb nodded and let Jamie in. "I think he's still out back."

"Thanks." Outside Jamie found Nathan shooting hoops. "Hey little brother."

Nathan turned around and whistled. "Damn. Who used you as a punching bag."

"Ha," she replied dryly. "I got into a fight. But that's not why I'm here."

Nathan smiled and tossed the ball to her. "Want to play while we talk? See if you have the Scott talent?"

Jamie smirked and sank a perfect three point shot. "Guess I had to inherit something from Dan. Sorry I never told you guys about being good at basketball. I didn't think it was very becoming of a musician."

"Hell if I wasn't looking to play professionally I'd probably hide this trait too. So what did you want to talk about?" Nathan asked as he made a shot.

"Lucas and I got into a huge fight."

"About what?"

Jamie sighed as she threw the ball at the hoop. It bounced off. "A lot of things. Mainly about me fighting and Chris Keller helping me out."

"Chris Keller?" Nathan asked, bewildered enough to drop the basketball. "Maybe you should tell me the whole story."

Sitting down on the grass, Jamie told Nathan about Peyton and her breaking up and about going to the bar.

"So Lucas got pissed because you spent like, an hour with Chris?"

"Yeah. I mean I understand where's he's coming from. Chris was a jerk about Brooke's pregnancy. I just didn't like Lucas sitting there telling me to avoid him like the plague when he was really nice to me. And he knows about my sexuality so there's no way he's after me for sex," she added, seeing the look on Nathan's face.

"Hey I get it. I hated his guts for the longest time but I had a chance to get to know him and I found out that he's actually a pretty decent guy."

"That's what I tried to tell Luke but he flipped out and started yelling at me."

Nathan chuckled. "I still can't believe you got in a fight."

Jamie gave him a serious look. "It's not funny. I hurt someone. If Chris and that bartender hadn't broken us up I could've hurt that other girl. I was pretty out of control."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I know it's not funny. Judging by your face I'd say it wasn't much fun for you."

"No, not really. That chick hit me at least four times."

Nathan nodded and lay back with his arms under his head. "I'm not saying he wasn't a jerk, but is that all Lucas said to you?

"No. What upset me the most was what he said about my breakup.

Sitting up, he asked, "What did he say?"

"When we were arguing he threw it in my face."

Nathan put a supportive arm around his sister. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. He tried to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal. Of course that prompted me to pull out the promise ring I bought for Peyton."

"I'm sorry he's being such a jerk."

Jamie shook her head. "When I told him how I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Peyton he stopped. I know he realized he was wrong but I wouldn't listen to his apology. The things he said hurt to much to be fixed with a simple 'I'm sorry.'"

Nathan stood up and helped Jamie up. "What are you gonna do now?"

"I'm not going home. I'm afraid of blowing up again. I can't go to the café because Karen is there and I don't want to have to deal with her right now. Not to mention Peyton is probably at Tric setting up for tonight and I don't want to risk running into her."

"You can hang out here if you want. I have to go to a job interview soon but I don't think my mom would mind you staying here."

Jamie thought about it and nodded. "Okay. Let's see if she needs anything done around the house. I might as well do something useful."

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A/N: Sorry to anyone who was expecting evil Derek to show up. If you remember, I stated in chapter 6 that he died when he fell through the window. Let me know what you thought. I'm really interested in what you guys think about this darker side of Jamie.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I appreciate them all. Also, the stuff with Brooke and Rachel stealing the test didn't happen.

Disclaimer: I don't own OTH. I just own any original characters and any plot that differs from the show. I also don't own the lyrics to "Brand New Day" by Forty Foot Echo.

**Chapter 25**

Jamie muttered curses as she pulled on the Tric employee t-shirt. Karen had called and asked her to work tonight. "Of all the days for someone to call in sick."

Karen's voice called from downstairs. "Jamie are you here?"

"Fuck," the tall blond whispered. She had avoided Karen all day, not ready to deal with her mother's reaction to her bruised face.

"Jamie?" Whirling around she saw Karen standing in the doorway. "Oh my god. What happened to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well that's too bad. You don't really expect me to ignore the fact that my daughter's face is covered in bruises do you? What happened? Who did this to you?"

Jamie sighed and started put her keys and cell phone in her pocket. "You really wanna know? You aren't gonna like the answer."

"Just tell me."

"Okay. Last night I went out to a bar and got into a fight."

Karen stared at her in shock. "You did WHAT?"

Jamie grabbed her wallet and shoved in her jeans. "Look, I don't want a lecture."

"Well I think maybe you need one."

"No, I don't. I know that what I did was stupid but I was really upset last night."

Karen walked in and sat down on the bed. "Jamie do you really think getting all beat up is going to make this stuff with Peyton go away."

Jamie threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "Doesn't anybody have any confidence in me? Both you and Lucas automatically assumed I got my ass kicked."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that I definitely didn't lose the fight. I… I lost control." She said sitting down next to her mother. "I don't know how it happened. This drunk chick kept bothering me, and when she pushed me I lost it. I haven't fought like that since I was in prison."

Karen patted her daughter's back. "Do you want to talk about it? Fighting in prison?"

"What's to talk about? When I got locked up I was a mess. A bunch of women kept messing with me and eventually I got tired of it. Someone taught me how to fight and eventually they quit messing with me for fear of getting hurt."

"Jamie…" Karen said, standing up. "This isn't prison. You can't just go around hurting people."

"I'm not going to!" Jamie said, her voice getting slightly louder. "God. It was bad enough having Lucas on my case. I don't need you doing this too."

"You know what, I don't think you working at Tric tonight is such a good idea."

"Do you really think I would do something like this again?"

"If you saw Peyton you might."

Jamie looked at her mother with a hurt impression. "Are you seriously implying that I might hurt Peyton?"

"Jamie that's not what I meant. I'm just saying that you might lose control again."

Standing up, Jamie pulled off the shirt and threw it at her mother. "Fine. I didn't really want to anyway." Pulling on a t-shirt from her closet she walked out of the room and stormed down the stairs. She was met by a disapproving look from Lucas.

"Don't yell at her like that."

"Don't start with me Lucas."

"You're out of control Jamie. You never yell at people like that."

Jamie bit her lip to hold back her retort. Instead she muttered, "Forget. You can't understand what I'm going through."

"I understand being hurt and getting mad but you can't just start flipping out on the one's who love you."

"No. I'm not taking this from you. Not after what you said this morning."

Lucas sighed and stood up. "I'm sorry I upset you."

"Upset me? You took my relationship with Peyton and used it to hurt me. You insinuated that it wasn't a big deal."

Not listening to his response she walked out the front door, slamming it behind her.

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Rachel opened the door to find Jamie standing on her porch. Looking at her in surprise she said, "Um hi."

"Hi. I was wondering if Brooke was here. She's not answering her cell."

"No. Sorry. I don't know where she is."

Jamie nodded. "Okay. Sorry for bothering you."

"Are you okay? You look like…" She trailed off waving her hand in front of her face.

Jamie touched one of her bruises and winced. "Oh. It's a long story."

"Well if you want to wait for Brooke you can tell it to me."

"I doubt she'll be back. I was just hoping to catch her before she left for Tric."

Rachel shrugged. "I'll still listen if you want to hang out."

"Aren't you going to Tric?"

"No."

Jamie nodded and followed Rachel in. "Nice house."

"Thanks. You want something to drink? I've got some vodka in my room."

"I'll just take water. Heart condition."

"Oh, right." Rachel got two bottles of water from the fridge and led Jamie up to her room. "So what's up with your face?"

"I got into a bar fight."

Rachel laughed. "Nice. So how bad does the other girl look?"

Jamie smirked. "One of them got off with just one punch. The other one got her face rearranged."

Rachel plopped down on her bed and leaned against the wall. Jamie did the same, sitting with about a foot of space between them. "So if you have a heart condition what were you doing in a bar?"

"Having a couple beers." Rachel raised her eyebrows and Jamie shrugged. "Hey I never said I was perfect. And I'm also not proud of hurting that chick, even though she was pissing me off."

Rachel laughed again. "So what made you decide to go drinking in the middle of the night?"

Jamie took a drink of her water and sighed. "I came to the sad realization that I couldn't give Peyton everything she wanted."

"Sorry." Rachel said, hesitantly touching the other girl's hand.

Jamie smiled and wiped away the single tear that had fallen. "It's okay. I didn't really mean to blurt that out."

Rachel nodded and stood up. Reaching under her bed she pulled out a guitar case. Handing the acoustic guitar to Jamie she said, "Here music girl. Play me something."

Jamie took the guitar and pulled a pick out of her back pocket. "Okay. Let's see. What should I play?

_Never thought I'd say I'm sorry_

_Never thought I'd be the one to bring you down_

_Now when I look out my window_

_But there doesn't seem to be anyone around_

_And I, I think I'll change my ways_

_So all your words get noticed_

_Tomorrow's a brand new day_

_Tomorrow's a new day_

_We said we'd take a little time_

_For both of us to see_

_And wonder what it'd be like to carry on_

_Ya, I know I got crazy_

_Well I guess that's just me_

_If I could turn back time before_

_The wrong_

_And I, I think I'll change my ways_

_So all your words get noticed_

_Tomorrow's a brand new day_

_Tomorrow's a new day_

_Ya, And I, I think I'll change my ways_

_So all your words get noticed_

_I think I'll change my ways_

_I think I'll change my ways_

_Ahhhhh, Ahhhhh_

_I think I'll change my ways_

_Never thought I'd say I'm sorry_

_Never thought I'd be the one_

Rachel clapped when she finished. "That was awesome."

"Thanks. If you don't mind me asking, why do you have a guitar? Do you know how to play?"

"No. My parents sent it to me as a birthday gift. They somehow got the idea that it was a hobby of mine."

"That sucks."

Rachel shrugged. "I'm used to it."

"Have you ever told them how you feel?"

"There's no point. They'll just keep sending me stuff I'll never use."

Jamie held the guitar up. "You've never played this?"

"Nope."

"Okay," Jamie said, scooting over so she was right next to Rachel. "Take the neck in your left hand…"

An hour later both girls were laughing as Rachel successfully played her first chord.

Jamie smiled and put her arm around the redhead. "It's a shame we didn't get to know one another sooner." She was a little surprised when Rachel rested her head on her shoulder.

Rachel set the guitar to the side and took Jamie's free hand in her own. "Can I tell you a secret?"

Jamie felt her pulse quicken and knew she should pull away before she did something she would regret, but instead she simply said, "Sure."

"I'm in love with Brooke."

"I'm sorry," she replied, knowing how much pain Rachel must be in. "I know how much it hurts to love someone and not be able to be with them."

Rachel sat up and looked at Jamie. "It's not fair. No one should have to feel that kind of pain."

Jamie knew she should stand up or pull back. She didn't want to hurt Rachel. "I…"

"Sometimes I wish I could make the pain go away, just for one night." She began to caress Jamie's cheek.

"Rachel… this won't make the pain go away."

"Ssh." The redhead replied, setting the guitar on the floor. She pushed Jamie onto her back and straddled her. "You don't owe anyone anything. You deserve a night of fun and pleasure."

Leaning down she brought their lips together.

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A/N: Sorry it's so short. What do you think? How big of an impact will Jamie's unexpected 'encounter' with Rachel have?


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: Thanks for the reviews.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. I do own my original character.

**Chapter 26**

Jamie pulled the Chris Keller cd off the shelf. She figured that if she was going to work with him she should know some of his music. Turning around she literally bumped in Peyton.

Her night with Rachel flashed through her mind and she felt guilt swell up in the pit of her stomach.

Peyton stared at the floor. "Hi."

"Hi. How are you?" Jamie knew it was stupid to ask that considering it had only been a week since the split.

"I'm good. You?"

"Been better." She turned to leave but Peyton stopped her.

"Jamie… is it always gonna be like this?"

"What more do you want Peyton? You're the one who wasn't happy. I was ready to…"

"What?"

Jamie shook her head, knowing she had to get out of there soon or tears would come. "I can't. I'm sorry."

She then paid for the cd and left. Once she was in the safety of her car she leaned back and sighed. "I'm not going to do this. I'm not going to feel guilty about sleeping with Rachel."

When she walked into the place she now called home she came face to face with the other person she had been avoiding.

"Hey."

"Rachel, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you. Is that a crime? Your mom had to leave but she said I could wait for you."

Jamie led Rachel up to her room and closed the door. "I'm sorry I've been avoiding you."

"Don't worry about it. It's not like we're a couple or anything."

"I know but… I feel like I owe you an explanation. After we…we…"

"Had sex?"

"Yeah. I think it may have been a mistake. It was great, if you know what I mean, but I also feel like I betrayed Peyton somehow."

Rachel walked over and kissed her. "Stop beating yourself up. You didn't betray anyone."

Jamie sighed and nodded. "I know. I know I don't have anything to feel guilty about. It's just that, that night was the first time I'd ever done this. You know, had casual sex."

Kissing Jamie again, Rachel started pushing her toward the bed. "If it helps, think of it as a coping mechanism."

"I… feel… like… I'm… using… you…" she said between kisses.

Rachel pushed the blond girl down onto the bed and sat on her lap, straddling her. "What if I don't care?"

"Rachel we can't. What if someone comes in?"

"No one's here." Rachel pushed Jamie so she was lying on her back. Once more she used her lips to shut the blond up.

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Brooke drew in a deep breath and rang Peyton's doorbell. It took ten minutes of ringing to get Peyton to answer it.

"Brooke what the hell are you doing here?"

"Look Peyton, this isn't easy to say so please just let me get it out." Peyton nodded for her to continue. "I know you're mad at me, and you have every right to be. I feel really horrible, and even though it would be easier to stay away, I want to work this out.

"After the way you pushed me away, twice, just for having feelings for your boyfriend? I don't think so."

"Please Peyton? I miss having you as my best friend."

Peyton shook her head and started to close the door but stopped. "Alright. Come on in."

Brooke went in and followed Peyton to her room. "Thank you."

"Brooke, I may have said some things that I didn't really mean. When we fought I was dealing with a lot of stuff and I took it out on you."

Sitting down in Peyton's computer chair, Brooke ran a hand through her hair. "I know it won't be easy and it won't happen overnight but I want to try to rebuild our friendship."

"Okay. Why don't we start by doing something simple? Something we used to do all the time, like going to lunch."

Brooke smiled and stood up. "Let's go."

"Now?"

"Why not? Come on, I'm buying."

Peyton gave Brooke a genuine smile. "Sounds good."

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Jamie watched Rachel quickly putting her clothes on. "Where's the fire?"

Rachel flashed Jamie her trademark smirk. "Sorry. I don't usually like to hang around when I'm done." When she saw the slightly hurt look on the other girl's face she frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. This just seems… wrong."

Rachel sat down on the bed and tugged her shoes on. "You didn't seem to find it wrong ten minutes ago."

"That's not what I mean. I guess I'm just worried that this will end with someone getting hurt."

"Who's gonna get hurt? It's not like we have to invest feelings into this thing."

Jamie sat up and pulled the sheet over her chest. "Our feelings are what drove us towards this. We were both heartbroken and we turned to one another for comfort."

Rachel finished getting ready and put her hand on Jamie's shoulder. "If we were to end this, right now, would you be heartbroken over it?"

"No."

"Then we don't have to worry about feelings. You can't tell me you don't like being able to have sex, to feel that release, and not have to answer to anybody about it."

"I guess."

"So stop worrying about it."

Rachel left and Jamie took a quick shower. Once she got dressed she decided to find Lucas. She had worked things out with Karen but her and Lucas still weren't talking.

"Lucas this is Jamie. I know this is like the millionth voicemail I've left you but I really need to see you. I'm tired of fighting."

Hanging up her phone she went out to her car and got in. Deciding to start her search at the café she drove there and went inside. Karen smiled when she saw her.

"Hey. Want some lunch?"

"Actually I was looking for Lucas."

"Jamie, he doesn't want to see you."

Sinking onto a stool, Jamie rested her forehead in one hand. "I know. I want to work things out but he won't talk to me."

Karen paused to accept the money from a leaving customer. Once the man was gone she turned back to her daughter. "Maybe you should just give him some time."

Sighing Jamie sat up and bit her lip. "How much time does he need? I know I made a mistake but is he really gonna let that destroy the trust we worked so hard to build?"

"What exactly did you two argue about?"

"We both said some pretty hurtful things, and I don't really think they need to be repeated."

Karen nodded and took a tray of food to a table. When she came back she asked, "What did your friend want?"

"Huh?"

"The redhead. What's her name?"

"Rachel. She… um, got a guitar for her birthday and I've been teaching her a few things."

Karen smiled. "Maybe that's what you could do. Teach guitar. I know your career as a music teacher didn't pan out but…"

Jamie laughed and shook her head. "I don't know." Silence fell between them. Eventually Jamie blurted out, "So are you gonna tell me where Lucas is?"

"Jamie…"

"Fine. Whatever." She stood up and walked out the door.

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Lucas rang Peyton's doorbell, unaware that his fiancée had done the same thing a few hours before. He missed the days when he could just walk up to her room but knew that ever since she had been attacked she constantly kept her house locked up tight.

"Lucas, hey."

"Hi."

They went into the kitchen where Peyton was cooking. "What's up? I haven't seen you all week."

Lucas leaned against the counter. "Listen, I know this is a sore subject but I wanted to talk about Jamie."

"Luke…"

"I'm worried about her Peyton. I don't think she's dealing with this very well."

"What about me? Did you ever think that maybe I'm not doing so great? I don't want our friendship to change but if you're going to ignore me to spend time with your sister and…"

"I'm not. I'm not spending time with her. We haven't spoken in almost a week."

"Why?" Peyton asked in a much softer tone. "What happened?"

"We had a fight about the way she was acting."

"What do you mean? What was she doing?"

Lucas sighed and started pacing around the kitchen. "She went out to a bar and got into a fight."

"What? Are you serious? Is she okay?"

"Yeah. She just had a few bruises. What worries me is that she hurt someone. She told me she beat the crap out of somebody."

Peyton shook her head and went back to stirring the soup. "Come on Luke, she wouldn't do that."

"That's exactly my point. She's doing things that aren't normal for her. If I hadn't seen the bruises on her knuckles I probably wouldn't have believed her."

"What are you saying? That it's my fault?"

Lucas sighed. "No. Look, I don't know exactly what went on but I don't think it's anyone's fault. I'm just saying that, regardless of the cause, something's going on with her. The few times I tried to talk to her she was cold and distant. I've never seen her like that. Not even when she first came and she wouldn't let anyone in."

Peyton sighed and shut the burner off. "I'm sorry Luke but… there's nothing I can do."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not her girlfriend anymore. And what the hell are you doing asking me for help? You've been ignoring her for the past week."

Lucas' shoulders slumped and he sat down. "I know."

Peyton sat down in the chair next to him. "What is it?"

"I got a letter from Charlotte University."

"Oh. What did it say?"

"I got accepted."

"Luke that's great! Why are you so bummed out?"

"Because Jamie's in a bad place right now and I don't want to make her feel worse. I want to be able to celebrate and be happy but I can't."

"Lucas don't hide the fact that you got into college. If Jamie can't be happy for you then she's not as good a person as I thought she was."

"I don't know Peyton. I'm afraid that she'll feel like I'm rubbing it in her face."

Peyton stood up. "Stop. You can't do this to yourself. I'm sorry she's not doing well but this is ridiculous. Go talk to her."

"I don't know."

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Skills sunk the basketball and grinned. "Oh yeah. That jump shot's gonna take me through college."

"Nice shot."

Turning around he saw Jamie sitting on the bleachers. "Sup girl?"

"I know me coming to you to talk is becoming a bit of habit."

"What's goin on?"

Jamie sighed and shook her head. "I don't know what's going on. That's the problem."

"Dawg I'm still lost."

"Ever since I got in that fight I've been different."

Skills looked at her in confusion. "Different how?"

"I should be all sad and emotional but I'm not. I'm angry and distant. The worst part is that I don't want to change. It sucks having everyone mad at me but it keeps me from having to deal with the pain."

"What pain are you talkin bout?"

"You don't know?" Jamie asked in surprise. "Peyton and I broke up."

"I'm sorry. That sucks. But ya know, you can't let it ruin your life. It may hurt to deal with losing your girl, but you don't wanna lose everyone else too."

"I know. I just don't know if I can be who I used to be. Having my heart broken changed me. I hate to admit it but it's true."

Skills noticed that the blond girl was holding back tears. "Jamie, when's the last time you let your tears out?"

"I don't know. Not since right after the breakup."

"Girl you can't hold it all in like that."

Jamie looked down. "I'm tired of crying. Every time something goes wrong I turn into a blubbering mess. I'm so sick of having to rely on other people's support just to get through the day."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Skills, I… some of the… don't take this the wrong way but, I've been through stuff you couldn't imagine and I had to do it all on my own."

"No one can get through life on their own. Eventually you gotta let someone in."

"I know," she replied quietly. "I'm just scared. I'm scared that if I let myself deal with everything, I'll never be okay."

"So what are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna keep it all in and deal with it on my own."

Jamie stood up and started to walk away but Skills jumped up and ran after her. "Jamie wait! What about what we talked about?"

"I don't have anyone to turn to."

"You got me."

Smiling, Jamie hugged Skills. "Thank you. I may be taking you up on that offer soon."

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A couple of days later Jamie found herself closing up Tric. She was counting the money in the cash register when she heard the door open.

"We're closed." She heard footsteps so she turned around. "We're- oh, Chris."

"What's up hot stuff?"

Jamie smirked and put the counted money in its box. "What are you doing here? I'm not giving you free beer."

Chris laughed and sat down on a stool. "Nah. I was just bored so I thought we could hang. I went to your house and your brother told me where you were."

"Great. One more reason for Lucas to be pissed off at me."

"No I meant your other brother. Lucas just saw me and stormed into his bedroom."

Jamie pulled a couple of waters out of a mini-fridge and handed one to Chris. "Yeah well he doesn't like you. And to be honest I can't blame him. No offense, but you were a serious ass the last time you came around."

"I know. I was kinda hoping you would help me apologize."

"I'd love to. Unfortunately Lucas won't talk to me and Brooke is avoiding me out of loyalty to him."

"Well he must be pretty stupid. I wish I had a cool sister like you."

Jamie smiled. She walked around the bar and sat on the stool next to his. "Thanks. You know, you actually are a pretty nice guy."

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone. I'd hate to ruin my bad-boy image."

Chris eventually convinced Jamie to get out some instruments. Going into the back she got two acoustic guitars. "Here," she said, handing Chris a guitar and sitting on the edge of the stage.

"So play me one of your songs."

"What?" Jamie yelped. "No way."

"Oh come on. I'm playing here Saturday night I thought maybe you could play with me."

"You mean play **my** songs? In front of people?"

"Calm down." Chris said with a laugh. "I figured we could play a bunch of covers."

"Why not your songs?"

Chris pulled a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket. "You know, for someone who works here you ought to be a little more informed."

Jamie looked at the flyer and nodded. "It's an all ages night."

"So?"

"That's Peyton's thing. I'm not working and I'm sure as hell not performing."

"Aw come on."

"No."

"You can avoid her all night."

Jamie rolled her eyes. "What about when she comes on stage to introduce us?"

"So prove that you can be near her for thirty seconds."

"I don't have to prove anything to her!" Jamie yelled and went to get up.

"Jamie wait." Chris said, pulling her back down. "I meant prove it to yourself. Come on, don't make me beg. I planned on playing a few of my songs and a bunch of covers. It's gonna be all-acoustic. Are you really gonna make me do it all alone?"

Glaring at Chris she crossed her arms. "Okay. But it's not because I'm being nice. I just want to see the look on Peyton's face when she finds out she has to put up with me."

Chris laughed. "All right. The girl's got some attitude. So how many covers do you know?"

Jamie laughed. "I used to be in a house band. All we did was play covers."

"Good. So that gives us a good variety to work with."

"Alright, let's figure out what we're gonna play tonight. That way we have plenty of time to practice."

They spent the next hour and a half planning out the performance and playing a few songs.

When Jamie got home she crawled into bed and, for the first time since the breakup, didn't have to cry herself to sleep.

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A/N: Ton's of drama to come! Sorry for the lack of Naley in this chapter. They will be in the next chapter a good deal to make up for it. Please review and let me know what you think. Also, I've had the idea that maybe when I end this story I will write a sequel, dealing with everyone's children. I would appreciate everyone's opinion on this. I will only write it if you all want to read it.


	27. Chapter 27

Author's note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. This is going to be the last chapter of WDIGFH. I will try to have the first chapter of its sequel, which will be a future fic, posted as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or the lyrics to Tyler Hilton's song "Missing You." I do own Jamie though.

**Chapter 27**

Lucas grabbed his backpack and opened his bedroom door. He was slightly startled by his sister standing there.

"We need to talk."

Shaking his head, he shut the door in her face and walked over to his door leading to the outside. When he opened it he found Jamie standing there, panting slightly.

"I'm not letting you leave until we talk."

In one swift motion Lucas gave the door a shove and darted in the opposite direction. When the door clicked shut he stopped and ran back to it. He opened it and found his sister glaring at him.

"How stupid do you think I am?"

"Are you still playing with Chris Keller on Saturday?"

Jamie nodded. "Yeah."

"Then you must be pretty damn stupid."

"God you are such a jerk!" Jamie yelled.

Lucas grabbed her by the arm and pulled her inside. "Shut up. We don't need the whole neighborhood to hear you shouting."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked in a much quieter voice. As much as she wanted to scream at her twin, she didn't want to wake up her baby sister.

"I think maybe you should be asking yourself that."

"Lucas why are you doing this? I don't want to fight with you. I want us to work things out. You're my brother."

"Look I've tried to be understanding but you're not making it easy."

"Oh my god! Are you seriously going to stay mad because I'm performing with Chris Keller?"

"It's not about that. It's about how you're making it hard for everyone to get on with their lives."

Jamie tried to calm herself down. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that I got into college but I didn't tell you because I was afraid you would freak out. Plus I'm worried that you'll still be out of control when it's time for me to go and I won't be able to leave Mom and April."

Pointing her finger at her brother she felt tears well up in her eyes. "That hurts Lucas. You should know that I would do everything I could to help Mom with April. And you didn't have to hide getting accepted to college. That's a really good thing and I'm happy for you."

Lucas set his bag down on the floor and sat down. "I know."

"What's really wrong?" Jamie asked, sitting down next to him.

"I'm afraid that if we work this out and things get back to normal then something else bad will happen."

"If it does, we'll deal with it. I know it's hard but we'll get through. We always do. Things will get better once we all move on with our lives. You, Nathan, and I will be famous someday. You're gonna go to college and be a famous writer, I'm gonna be a famous musician, and Nathan will be a famous basketball player."

Lucas smiled and put his arm around Jamie. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry I've been treating you so horribly."

"Forget about it. I'm just glad we're not fighting anymore."

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Jake smiled and wrapped his arms around Peyton. "You better get up before you're late for school."

"I was thinking about not going. I'm pretty happy right here."

"So I'm that cool huh? You'd skip school to hang out with me?"

Peyton smiled and kissed him softly. "Any day. Thanks for giving me some time before we got back together."

"You don't have to thank me. I want to take things slow and do it right this time."

"So you're not mad that I want to wait?"

"Peyton of course I'm not mad. We won't do anything until you're ready. I love you and I want to be with you. It's not about sex."

"I love you too."

"Momma! Dadda!"

They both looked up in surprise to see Jamie standing in the doorway holding Jenny.

"She somehow unlocked the door and let me in."

As soon as Jamie set her down, Jenny ran and climbed onto the bed. Peyton got up and went downstairs with her ex-girlfriend.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Saturday. Chris said you were fine with me playing but I wanted to make sure."

Peyton nodded. "I won't even be there. I'm going with Jake to get the rest of his stuff. He's moving back here."

"Oh. That's great. I'm happy for you."

She started to leave but Peyton grabbed her arm. "I, um… do you want to stay for breakfast?"

"Peyton I think that would be kind of awkward. It's too soon."

"Okay. I understand. I just miss spending time with you."

Jamie nodded. "I miss that too but… just being in the same room as you is hard. I think I'm gonna go." She started to walk away but turned around after a few steps. "You probably ought to put another lock on that door. You wouldn't want your new daughter escaping." She smiled to show Peyton she wasn't upset.

"God I didn't know Jenny could even open doors yet. She's growing up so fast."

Jamie walked back over and hugged Peyton. "Don't worry. You're gonna be a great mom."

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"I am going to kill you."

Chris Keller laughed and turned around. "So you found out huh?"

Jamie stormed forward and stuffed a flyer into his hand. "You said we were doing covers. You said I wouldn't have to play my music."

Chris grinned and shook his head smugly. "No, I never said you wouldn't have to. I just sort of left it out."

"Well I'm not doing it."

"Come on Jamie. This could be a chance for you to make it big. There are gonna be people from two different record labels there."

"What? Why?"

"I may have called some people about an up and coming musician that would be performing.

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Thanks. That really takes the pressure off."

Chris grabbed her arms and looked down into her eyes. "You can do this. I'm sorry I tricked you but I knew it was the only way to get you to perform. You need to have more confidence in yourself. Your music is awesome."

Pulling away Jamie shook her head. "I don't know Chris."

"I'll be right there, playing with you."

"Okay. I'll do it. But we have to work together on all of the songs. If you do what you did to Haley the first time she performed I'll smash my guitar over your head." She let out a laugh and opened up her guitar case. "Come on, we better practice. I don't want you to make me sound horrible."

Chris mocked hurt and crossed his arms. "Are you saying I'm incapable of playing your music?"

Both were laughing as Chris got his own guitar out and sat down.

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Haley and Nathan walked into Tric and made their way through the crowd. They got drinks and found a table close to the stage. Tonight's event was a low-key easy going performance.

Karen walked onto the stage and grabbed the microphone. "I'd like to thank everyone for coming out tonight. This evening we have two returning performers. Without further ado I'd like to welcome Chris Keller and Jamie Bradshaw."

The crowd cheered and clapped as the two walked onto the stage. Lucas and Brooke sat down at the table with Nathan and Haley just as the two musicians sat down on their stools. Chris leaned forward and spoke into the microphone. "This is a song of mine called Missing You."

_Every time I think of you_

_I always catch my breath_

_I'm still standing here_

_And you're miles away_

_And I wonder why you left me_

_And there's a storm that's raging through my frozen heart tonight_

_I hear your name in certain circles_

_And it always makes me smile_

_I spent my time just thinking about you_

_And its almost driving me wild_

_But it's my heart that's beggin down this long distance line tonight_

_And I aint missin you at all_

_Since you've been gone… Away_

_I aint missin you_

_No matter what I might say_

_There's a message in the wires_

_And I am sendin you a signal tonight_

_You don't know how desperate I've become_

_And It looks like I'm loosin this fight_

_But it's my heart that's breakin down this long dusty road of mine_

_But I aint missin you at all_

_Since you've been gone… Away_

_I aint missin you at all_

_No matter what my friends say_

_And there's a message that I'm sendin out_

_Like a telegraph to you or something_

_I can't bridge this distance_

_Honey, stop this heart ache all alone_

_I aint missin you at all_

_Since you've been gone… Away_

_I aint missin you_

_No matter what my friends say_

_I aint missin you_

_Since you've been gone… Away_

_I aint missin you_

_Yeah, no matter what your friends say_

_Hey yeah, yeah yeah yeah_

_I aint missin you at all_

_Since you've been gone… Away_

_I aint missin you_

_Nooo_

Eight songs later the two of them went backstage and put their guitars up.

Jamie gave Chris a tight hug. "Thank you. If it hadn't been for you I never would have been able to do that."

Chris had to leave but Jamie decided to stick around and went to find her brothers.

Brooke cheered and hugged Jamie when she made her way to the table. "That was so awesome." Everyone else agreed and told Jamie how good she was.

"Thanks guys. I'm gonna go get a drink."

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**Two months later**

Jamie walked up and stood next to Lucas. He was staring at the high school. "Are you gonna miss it?"

Lucas shrugged. "I don't know. I have a lot of good memories and a lot of bad memories."

"Come on, you're graduating tomorrow. Don't be so bummed about it."

Lucas laughed and turned around. Walking with Jamie back to their cars he looked at his watch. "What are you doing here? I thought you were working at the café."

"Mom gave me the day off. She wants me to keep you away from the café. Apparently she thinks you don't know about your graduation party." Lucas and Jamie laughed. They stopped and turned around when they heard the sound of approaching vehicles.

Brooke, Haley, and Nathan pulled up in their cars. Nathan put his arm around his wife and smiled. "Jeez are we having a reunion already?"

Brooke rolled her eyes and walked to her fiancée. "It is kind of funny that we all showed up here at the same time."

Jamie stood up and fidgeted with her hands. "I'm glad everyone's here because I have an announcement to make. Chris is leaving in two weeks to go back on tour and… I'm going with him. He's asked me to become his official guitar player."

Everyone looked surprised. Haley looked a little jealous. "Wow. So are you still going to write your own music?"

Jamie shrugged. "I might. I've always been more of a guitarist than a songwriter."

Brooke gave Jamie a supportive hug. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too Brooke. And don't worry. I'll be back for your wedding."

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Haley met Jamie for lunch at the café later that day. When she sat down she noticed that Jamie seemed nervous. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I was just a little worried that you were mad about me going on tour. After I said I was leaving you got really quiet."

"I'm not mad. I guess I'm a little jealous."

Jamie smiled. "You could come. Tour with us for the summer."

Laughing, Haley shook her head. "I don't know about that. Last time I went on tour it almost ruined my marriage."

"I understand. Believe me, I'm not looking forward to spending so much time away from you guys."

"Touring is really fun though. I think you'll like it."

A waitress came to take their order and she smiled when she saw them. "This place seems to have a tendency to spit out celebrities."

The two musicians laughed at the irony. Both of them had worked at the café prior to getting involved with music. They placed their orders and began talking about the future.

"Are you ready to graduate?"

Haley shrugged. "To be honest I'm kind of scared. Graduating means going to college, having the baby, and a lot of stuff I'm not sure I'm ready for."

"Don't worry about it. You'll be fine. You've got a husband who's gonna be there for you."

"I know."

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Peyton smiled at Jamie when she walked into Tric. "Hey."

"Hey. I was about to leave the café when my mom told me you were here."

"So you came up to see me?" Peyton asked, surprised.

"I wanted to tell you that when Chris goes back on tour, I'm going with him. I'm going to play guitar for him"

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yep."

Peyton hugged Jamie and whispered, "Congratulations."

Jamie tensed up at first but then relaxed into the hug. When they pulled apart Jamie smiled. "Thanks."

Peyton nervously tapped the counter. "Jamie, do you think we'll ever be able to spend time together without it being weird?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Every time I see you… it's so hard. All the memories of our time together come rushing back. I wish I could say we'll be friends someday but I don't think it will happen. I don't think I can be just friends with you."

Peyton's expression saddened. "Okay."

"I'm sorry. I just… I wasn't going to tell you this but…"

"What is it?"

Jamie sighed and reached into her pocket. "I've been carrying this around everywhere." She showed Peyton the ring box. "This is a promise ring I bought shortly before you broke up with me the first time."

Peyton gasped. "I…I had no idea."

"I know. I didn't want to tell you but it's been on my mind a lot. I felt like I owed you the truth. Can you understand why it's so hard for me to be around you?"

Peyton nodded. "So how long till you leave?"

"Two weeks."

"That soon? Wow."

Jamie nodded. "I know. It's all happening so fast." Turning to leave she looked back at her ex-girlfriend. "I'll see you tomorrow."

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Jamie opened the door to find Rachel standing there. "Hey. What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in almost a month."

"Can we talk? In private?"

Jamie stepped aside to let her in. "Sure. No one's here."

"Let's go up to your room," the redhead said, stepping into Jamie's personal space.

"Rachel… we stopped doing this."

"So?" Rachel kissed Jamie but the blond pushed her away.

"Stop it."

"Why?"

"Because you lied to me and you used me."

**Flashback**

Rachel sat up and grabbed her shirt. She started to get up to find the rest of her clothes when Jamie grabbed her arm.

"Wait. Can we talk?"

"Talk about what?"

"I just want to know how you're doing."

Rachel shook her head and stood up. "What happened to not involving feelings?"

"I'm not giving up on this. You never want to talk about your feelings for Brooke. Trust me, you'll feel better once you talk about it."

"I lied. I'm not in love with Brooke. I just said that to get you to sleep with me."

"What?" Jamie yelled.

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? You think sorry makes it okay? I can't believe this. You took advantage of me."

"Look, just let me explain."

"Get out."

"Jamie…"

"GET OUT!"

**End Flashback**

"I'm not mad about it anymore but I'm not gonna let you use me either."

Rachel nodded. "I understand."

"No you don't Rachel. If you want someone to be with you then you have to be honest with them."

"Who are you to give me relationship advice? You aren't with anyone right now either."

"Yeah well I don't lie to people just so I can experiment with them."

Rachel gasped. "You weren't an experiment."

Jamie crossed her arms. "Am I the only girl you've slept with?"

"Yes."

"Then how can you say it was an experiment?"

"Because I'm not into guys. I've never felt anything with a guy, but I felt something with you."

Jamie's expression softened. "Oh."

"Look, I may have used you, but if you were just some random fuck then it would have been a one night stand. I wouldn't have slept with you more than once."

"Rachel… someday you're going to find someone to be with. You just have to open up and let people see the real you."

Rachel nodded and started to walk out the door. "I'll see you around."

"Rachel wait. Do you want to hang out? There's no reason we can't be friends."

"I can't."

Jamie nodded. "Okay. But listen, I may have gotten mad when I found out you lied but… I don't regret what we did. In a sick, twisted way it helped me move on."

Rachel smiled. "I don't regret it either."

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Karen, Deb, and Jamie sat in a row inside the gym. The graduation ceremony was going to start in a few minutes.

"I can't believe this day has come." Karen said tearfully.

Jamie laughed. "This is so weird. I'm about to watch my twin brother graduate."

Before Karen could respond, Principal Turner walked up to the podium. "Welcome, Tree Hill, to the graduation of the class of 2007."

The crowd cheered and clapped. A number of people gave speeches before Brooke, the class president, went up.

"Hi everybody. Wow, I can't believe it's been four years already. So much has happened. We've all had good days and we've all had bad days. We've faced the tragedy of losing a member of our class. It hasn't been easy but we made it through. I think that a lot of us discovered who we are. And now it's time to take what we learned and go out into the world. It's time to look to the future. A question is asked and we must answer it one by one. No one else has the answer. We must each discover where we're going to go from here."

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The end. I hope you liked it. Look for its sequel, "Where We Got To" which should have the first chapter up soon.


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